NASA inventions you can find for everyday use in your home

NASA, its research and space seem far removed from everyday life, and even more so from technology. This is not as true as it seems Well, over the years, some of the technologies created by NASA have been put into daily use.. Even some of these elements they can be at your home.

Many tools, machines and facilities in the house come from research conducted by the POT during the last 50 years.

NASA inventions you can find at home

protective helmets

In the 1970s, NASA invented hardened foam, a cushioning material designed to improve the safety of aircraft cushions. The foam was placed on the helmets and seats of the Apollo spacecraft, a liner that would help mitigate some of the extreme forces astronauts would be subjected to.

Temper foam is a polyurethane treated with additional chemicals of high viscosity and density, ideal properties to absorb significant shock and resist the flow of energy. The foam is memory elastic and temperature sensitive, meaning when pressed against a heat source, such as a human. it molds to that shape, helping with the fit and reducing unwanted gaps.

Hardened foam came on the market in the early 1980s and was quickly picked up and used in medical equipment such as hardened foam mattresses and sporting goods. such as football helmets and helmets for bicycles and motorcyclists.

cordless tools

After the late President John F. Kennedy announced the Apollo program in 1961, a wave of research into the practicalities of human spaceflight began. One of the most notable advances was a cordless zero-impact wrench, a tool that could turn bolts in zero gravity without twisting the astronaut. From this, the research program developed cordless tools for a variety of purposes, including a cordless jackhammer that could be used to extract rocks from the moon’s surface.

Nowadays, this technology has become commonplace and widespread, with most tools powered by a cordless battery which can be charged between uses.

Water filters

Although basic water filters had been around since the mid-1950s, it wasn’t until 1963 that NASA poured resources into its research for the Apollo program. modern filtration systems began to emerge. NASA led research in this area, as large volumes of water would have to be kept uncontaminated for long periods of time under extreme conditions.

To achieve this goal, NASA developed a system that works by exploiting coal’s ability to absorb pollutants. Essentially an oxidation process that opens millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms in the charcoal, this treatment enhanced the absorbency of the charcoal, which, with its large porous surface area, provided many places for contaminants to chemically bond to through attraction. This left the resulting water free of impurities.

scratch resistant glasses

After NASA realized that plastics were much better at absorbing ultraviolet light and wouldn’t break if dropped, space sights were made of plastic. However, uncoated plastic scratches easily and given the amount of dust and debris in a space environment, it was determined that there was a need to develop scratch-resistant lenses and coatings.

Thanks to NASA research, spacescopes now use a diamond-like carbon coating that is applied in thin films to the outside of the scope and greatly hardens it. A branch of this technology is now available in sunglasses.

Joysticks (joysticks)

Like smoke detectors, joysticks existed before NASA adopted the technology, but they were unrecognizable in the products we see today. In fact, it was only through NASA’s work on joystick technology as the control mechanism for their Apollo lunar rover that would be used on the last three missions.. They are now very common in cars, planes and video game controllers.

The lunar rover’s controller was a T-shaped joystick and operated through a series of motors: four to drive and two to steer. Moving the stick forward propelled the rover forward, left and right, turned the vehicle left or right, and pulling back applied the brakes. Activating a switch on the joystick before pulling it back puts the lunar rover in reverse, while pulling the lever back activates a parking brake.

smoke detector in the house

The smoke detector, invented by Francis Robbins Upton in 1890, could not be modified until NASA invented a variable-sensitivity model in 1973. The units were installed in Skylab to detect toxic fumes on board.

The microwave

The properties of microwaves for heating were an accidental discovery percy spencer, a Raytheon employee who experimented with microwave ovens in 1945. He patented his idea for a microwave oven in 1949, but it was NASA who initiated the miniaturization of this equipment, common in 21st century kitchens.

satellite TV

The first satellite capable of transmitting television signals was Telstar 1. Launched in 1962, it was a joint project to develop an experimental satellite communications system over the Atlantic. The satellite was built by Bell Laboratories in collaboration with NASA.

The satellite worked by using a transponder to transmit data. It received microwave signals through an omnidirectional array of small antennas before amplifying and amplifying the signal frequency in a traveling wave tube and retransmitting it to the ground. NASA continued to develop this technology and produce more advanced systems to reduce noise and errors in transmitted signals, leading to the ability to transmit high-definition video and audio.