The lunar rover from the Apollo 17 mission on the moons surface. Where has NASA technology wound up since? [Credit: NASA]Last month, residents of Washington, DC and New York City watched as two Space Shuttles were ferried to their final homes. Even though these orbiters are no longer in service, humans now have a permanent home in space via the International Space Station, and over 500 people from almost 40 countries can say they have flown in space. But for the 6.8 billion residents of Earth whove yet to reach orbit, what benefits of space exploration do we see on a daily basis? What do US citizens get from our space agency, NASA? <\/p>\n
The short answer is: quite a lot. Lets take a look at where NASA funding--at present, less than 0.5% of the US federal budget--shows up in our daily lives, and beyond. <\/p>\n
Even more fun than a NASA database enumerating technologies, NASA City is an interactive site where you can explore spinoffs of space exploration, and see how they trace back to our homes and cities. As the site's slogan puts it, Space is everywhere you look. <\/p>\n
A SanDisk Cruzer flash drive with a Liquidmetal outer casing. [Credit: Liquidmetal Technologies]Do you own a flash storage drive? NASA helped develop an alloy that shows up in thumb drive casings used by SanDisk for their Cruzer Titanium drives. Called liquidmetal, this alloy is a mix of several different metals that form a glass at room temperature and is incredibly resilient against corrosion and scratching. Liquidmetal shows up in baseball bats, skis, and medical equipment. <\/p>\n
In your home, NASA technology has led to advances in food safety (including hyperspectral imaging of chickens to scan for diseases) and methods for removing carbon monoxide from buildings. Insulated paint helps reduce your heating bill, thanks to research toward finding ways to protect the Space Shuttle. Even athletic shoes and your memory foam mattress owe thanks to NASA tech. <\/p>\n
Hyperspectral imaging of chicken products! [Credit: NASA] <\/p>\n
When it comes to safety and health, NASA has improved heart monitoring devices as well as equipment for firefighters and first responders. Self-illuminating paint makes it easier to navigate out of darkened buildings in emergencies, again, because of NASA innovations. Advances in robotic surgery spring from NASA research. <\/p>\n
The next time you go for a drive, thank a NASA engineer and a crash test dummy from space! The auto industry uses NASA tracking devices to better understand how dummies respond in crash tests. Brake and air conditioning systems are made more efficient by NASA-designed software. <\/p>\n
If reading a big ole PDF is more your style, NASA has a 224-page booklet on its spinoff technology from 2011 alone. Perhaps youll read it while commuting as a passenger in a safer car or a more efficient airplane sporting tech from space. <\/p>\n
If youre curious as to what NASA technologies in your life have origins close to home, NASA has a website that details spinoff tech in your area based on location, NASA center, and field of research. Since the NASA Ames Research Center is closest to San Francisco-based PCWorld, I checked to see what the latest and most local spunoff tech is: Advisory Systems [that] Save Time, Fuel for Airlines, which can save tens of thousands of flight minutes and millions in fuel costs and thousands of tons of carbon emissions for commercial airlines. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Thank You, Space! How NASA Tech Makes Life Better on Earth<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The lunar rover from the Apollo 17 mission on the moons surface. Where has NASA technology wound up since? Continue reading