Inventions created in connection with the study of space. Polyurethane foam mattresses
NASA's primary mission is to explore and understand space, but a large number of technologies have been developed to space research began to be used in everyday life. We encounter such inventions every day, and they improve the quality of life here on Earth.
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20. Water gun
NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson, creator of the stealth bomber, came up with the water gun. A performance-enhancing model was introduced in 1989 and is much better than anything previously on the market. At the same time, the Super Soaker water gun was ranked among the top 20 best-selling toys in the world.
19. Memory foam
It's true that thanks to NASA, everyone is sleeping better. The resilient foam found in Tempurpedic mattresses was developed for space travel. It was created for the seats of the ship in order to minimize inconvenience for astronauts during landings. Memory foam is a unique component that is able to distribute pressure evenly over the entire surface, subsequently it restores its original shape. Some commercial airlines use this invention to equip seats in aircraft cabins. Foam is used in medicine for bedridden patients with disorders of the musculoskeletal system and in prosthetics.
18. Insulating materials
Let's remember the time when NASA was looking for ways to ensure safety and viability spaceships and began experimenting with insulating materials. The astronauts needed protection from the huge temperature fluctuations in space. Today, insulating materials in various forms are widely used in construction.
17. Rubber suit for swimming
NASA has invented a riblet - small, invisible grooves smaller than a scratch, invisible to the naked eye. They are used on the surface of aircraft, racing yachts to reduce friction. In collaboration with Speedo, NASA developed a swim suit using the technology. These grooves on it increase the swimmer's speed by 10-15% and allow him to easily glide through the water. True, after the Beijing Olympics in 2008, these suits were banned for participation in competitions.
16. Portable cordless vacuum cleaner
While cleaning the house with a handheld vacuum cleaner, no one thinks that they are using a NASA technical achievement that the astronauts used on the moon. For example, during the Apollo mission, NASA needed a portable, independent device to collect samples from the lunar surface. Black and Dekker invented the first battery-powered devices in 1961, but NASA developments helped refine the technology, resulting in lightweight, cordless vacuum cleaners, cordless medical devices, and more.
15. Water filters
Everyone knows that water is the basis of life. Since we cannot live without it, the transformation of polluted water into drinking water has been an amazing and valuable achievement. Water filtration technology appeared in the 1950s, but NASA needed to know how to purify water more efficiently and keep it clean for a long period of time for the needs of the astronauts aboard the spacecraft and to prevent the occurrence of disease. A few years later, many companies took advantage of NASA technology and created millions of filters that are now used every day.
14. Transparent braces
Some items have an unusual beginning. Ceradyne and NASA's ceramics program have contributed to the development of clear braces. For their development, technology was used that is used to track heat-seeking missiles. Clear braces are stronger than iron braces, and their smooth and round shape prevents damage to the mouth.
13. Shatterproof lenses
The chance that the lenses won't break when dropped on the ground is all due to the invention of plastic lenses by the FDA in 1972. First, plastic is cheaper than glass, lighter and absorbs ultraviolet radiation better. Since there are many unexpected threats in space in the form of flying particles, NASA needed to create a special protective coating for astronaut helmets. Soon, sunglasses specialist Foster-Grant partnered with NASA to create unique plastic-coated lenses that are 10 times stronger than glass or uncoated plastic.
12. Dry freezing
There is also a need in space. In orbit, astronauts live and work in microgravity, which means that dry and loose food will fly freely on board. That's why dry freezing is necessary. Before the start of the Apollo mission, NASA was intensively engaged in research into the processes of preparing food for space flights. In cooperation with Nestle, the agency came up with the method of dry freezing - a process that results in dehydration of products that are quickly frozen and placed in vacuum packages. Before use, you must add water, and the product will restore its properties, smell and taste.
11. Treadmills
The simulators were invented by the NASA agency, since astronauts in orbit are required to engage in physical activity in order to be in shape, and muscles in weightlessness do not atrophy. In zero gravity, the human skeleton also gradually becomes weaker.
10. Insulin pump
Thanks to the researchers of the Mars Viking spacecraft spacecraft, NASA has taken up the problems of diabetics. Interplanetary travel takes a huge amount of time, and issues related to the health of astronauts become important. Medical experts at the Goddard Space Flight Center have invented a device that can monitor a patient's condition, namely blood sugar levels, and inject insulin into the body if necessary. Today, this invention is known as the “insulin pump,” and diabetics have been using it since the 1980s.
9. Infrared thermometer
In the past, taking a patient's temperature was difficult. Until 1991, it was measured mainly with mercury thermometers and it was difficult to consider the indicators. Diatek and NASA have developed infrared thermometers with a special sensor. It is inserted into the ear, which is much easier, and the indicators are more accurate and faster.
8. Tomograph
In the 1960s, after the Apollo moon landing program, NASA's laboratory developed a technology known as digital photo processing (DPI), which allowed images of the moon to be processed on computers. These tomographs and MRI began to be used in medicine to obtain images of the human body for diagnosis.
7. Improved software
In cooperation with NASA and Google, 3D programs were created for mapping Mars and the Moon, weather maps for forecasting. Recently, both companies have been tackling the challenges of managing massive amounts of data. As a result, simulator programs for training, photo processing programs, etc. were created.
6. Anti-icing system
KATS (Kelly Aerospace Therma Systems), in collaboration with NASA, created the Thermawing anti-icing system, the actual air conditioning system for single-engine aircraft. The system is based on a flexible, electrically conductive graphite foil that is attached to the leading edge of an aircraft wing. When the foil is heated, the ice melts.
5. Cochlear implant
In the 1970s, Adam Kissia, a NASA junior engineer who worked on the space shuttle program, created the cochlear implant. Despite the fact that the engineer did not have a medical education, he took up the problem of the deaf and created a hearing aid based on telemetry, electronic sensing, sound and vibration sensors. An apparatus based on digital impulses stimulates the auditory endings that transmit signals to the brain.
4. Device for clearing mines
As a result of the collaboration between NASA and Thiokol Propulsion, a special technology was created that made it possible to destroy mines from a safe distance using solid rocket fuel. The technology is based on a device that operates on the principle of an electric lighter - when ignited, the fire burns a hole in the shell of the mine, burns explosive and defuses the mine without detonating.
3. Solar battery
NASA founded the Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology Association, which has 28 member countries. The goal of his activity was the creation of an unmanned aircraft for flights at high altitude for several days in a row. To keep it going, it took new technology, which allows the aircraft to be energy autonomous. As a result, a solar cell based on single-crystal silicon, light in weight and inexpensive, was created. It produced 50% more energy than traditional ones.
2. Smoke detectors
Although NASA did not create the first smoke detector, in the 1970s it developed a new and more practical version in collaboration with Honeywell Corporation. The new detector was equipped with a self-charging nickel-cadmium battery. In orbit, on board the first Skylab space station, similar detectors with more sensitive sensors were installed for fire and gas safety of the crew, which fully justified the hopes.
1. Dentures
One of the most significant inventions of the NASA agency is prosthetic limbs for humans and animals based on gentle and extremely practical technologies derived from research by Environmental Robots Inc. The company has achieved excellent results in the development and creation of artificial muscle and space robotics in collaboration with NASA engineers.
From the stars, it seems. Designed for the space industry, many household goods "flew" to us straight from Earth orbit. Having landed on the moon in medicine, economics, industry and other sectors, space developments have made our everyday life safer, more convenient and simply more interesting. More details in our review. With it, we continue a series of publications on MTS/Media dedicated to the 55th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight into space.
My earthly companion
The most obvious benefits of a civilization with a space ancestry are satellite Internet, television and telephony. "Plates" were massively populated on the facades of Russian houses in the 90s, and in some remote regions they still remain the only way to communicate with the mainland. The signal is transmitted through a satellite, which is located at a certain distance from the earth's surface (35,786 km) and rotates at the same speed as the planet, remaining stationary relative to the planet.
The American GPS navigation system and domestic GLONASS also need satellites. Thanks to them, the coordinates that your smartphones show can give an error of only a few meters. Accuracy depends on the receiving device, satellite visibility conditions, weather, terrain. Satellites are also used in meteorology, geological exploration, to provide communications where cellular operators will not appear for many years, for example, in the expanses of the oceans, in the icy deserts of the Arctic and Antarctica.
The active use of solar panels began in thanks to the launches of the first spacecraft. They needed an autonomous power supply, and it is provided by the rays of the Sun. They knew how to extract energy from light before, but did solar panels space is efficient. Today, solar batteries are a stand-alone backup source and a means of saving money in private homes.
Helpers in the house
To maintain the health of the crew, bifidobacteria began to be used in products in orbit. Yoghurts with such an additive on the shelves became popular much later. Space also moved the food industry forward in the field of packaging: food in tubes, dry freezing and vacuum packaging.
Some household appliances and even furniture come from the laboratories of the American space agency. For example, a portable household cordless vacuum cleaner is a descendant of a device that collected soil samples from the surface of the moon. Memory foam has migrated to the mattresses of our beds from the seats of the pilots of the spacecraft. It distributes pressure over the entire surface and reduces discomfort from long sitting. Such foam can make life easier for lying patients. Some sound and heat insulating materials were also developed for spacecraft, and only then ended up in apartments.
Fizkultprivet
Velcro and zippers were invented long before the space age, but the massive demand for them arose after earthlings watched the first live broadcasts from the space station. Following the astronauts soaring in zero gravity, athletes, skiers, scuba divers, and ordinary consumers fell in love with fast fasteners. In general, athletes partly owe their records to good equipment, the history of which began in the space age. The streamlined and almost seamless swimsuits, sneakers, ventilated material and shock-absorbing insoles and soles are derived from the shoes people wore on the moon. Thermal underwear that wicks away moisture while retaining warmth, glasses with impact and scratch-resistant lenses were also once created especially for astronauts.
The medicine
Laser surgery in general and already ordinary surgery for laser vision correction, diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases, tomographs and MRI machines, prosthetic limbs and internal organs, including the heart, hearing aids, insulin pumps and an infrared thermometer - these and many other developments that save or qualitatively improving human life, created on the basis of developments for the space industry. Simulators for astronauts, which even now help fight muscle atrophy in weightlessness, have also become medical suits for those suffering from cerebral palsy and Parkinson's disease.
Aesthetic medicine also actively uses the materials and technologies of the space industry. For example, transparent braces, which correct the curvature of the teeth. In dental prosthetics, zirconium oxide is used, a material used to make the heat-insulating lining of ships.
martian chronicles
It was possible to increase the maximum mileage of some car tires by an impressive 16,000 km using the technologies that were used to create the legendary Viking-1 and Viking-2 vehicles. Thanks to a special material that is several times stronger than steel, they successfully landed on Mars and worked on the surface of the planet for longer than expected. This interplanetary mission is considered one of the most scientifically valuable in history. During it, among other things, the first color photograph was taken on the surface of Mars.
Aviation - the closest relative of astronautics - also received at least one important gift from its younger sister. The anti-icing system that NASA developed for the wings and engines of ships is now used on aircraft.
Space industry engineers know how to deal not only with cold, but also with overheating. The flame-retardant fabric now used to make firefighter suits was developed for astronaut suits. Metal, synthetics and plastic in the composition of such a fabric saves the lives of people caught in a fire and the rescuers themselves.
What do Velcro on jackets have in common with the latest magnetic bioprinter capable of printing living organs and tissues? What "space" inventions have become part of our daily lives? In a special TASS project, we will talk about 10 important inventions that were created to work in orbit, but changed the lives of millions of people when they returned to Earth
Zippers and Velcro
It's hard to believe, but the usual fasteners - zipper and Velcro - owe their popularity to astronautics. But their story did not begin in space.
The first zipper, or rather “shoe clasp”, was developed by the American engineer Whitcomb Leo Judson in 1891. The public saw the invention in 1893, but the design was unreliable. Judson had to find partners, one of whom invited Swedish-born engineer Gideon Sundback to refine the clasp mechanism. In 1917, after several improvements, a version as close as possible to the modern one received a patent. The first unsuccessful attempt complicated the implementation process, but later everything worked out: already in 1918, 24,000 clasps for money belts for military sailors were sold.
Further, the designers noticed the novelty: Emil-Maurice Erme, one of the descendants of the founder of the Hermès fashion house, suggested using zippers in the production of bags, and Elsa Schiaparelli was the first to use it in clothes. But the real boom in zippers happened during space exploration. For example, the A7L spacesuit with a zipper running from the groin to the neck was worn by Neil Armstrong on the Apollo 11 expedition.
But Velcro appeared due to chance: in 1941, engineer Georges de Mestral returned from a walk with a dog and, while cleaning his pet's hair from burdock, decided to examine the plant heads under a microscope. It turned out that the reason for the tenacity of the burdock are small hooks. Thus, an idea was born that took years to implement. Georges patented Velcro in 1955. Astronauts were the first to appreciate the novelty, who use the fastener not only in clothes: on the ISS, the walls are covered with fabric with microloops, and to keep objects in place, small pieces of cloth with hooks are glued to them. These are the components of Velcro.
So it was not at all space developments that first mastered space in order to be useful on Earth later.
Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaners
In conditions of space flight and limited space, objects without wires are especially valued. Modern technology on batteries and accumulators owes its appearance to the development of the space industry. And handheld vacuum cleaners have a special story.
In the early 1960s, when the Apollo space mission program was planned, the NASA team was looking for technologies that would allow astronauts to collect soil samples from the surface of the moon. It was impossible to imagine that a wire from a bulky drilling machine or a powerful vacuum cleaner stretched from a spaceship, and besides, it would be unsafe. Together with engineers from Black & Decker, NASA scientists have worked on the ergonomics of the devices and made them wireless due to battery operation.
Later, Black & Decker continued to apply the technology to household appliances, including car vacuum cleaners, drills, etc. In 1961-1962, the world's first cordless drill powered by a nickel-cadmium battery appeared on the market. By the end of 1962, the range of drills was replenished with four copies, and in addition, the company began to produce cordless lawn mowers.
Black & Decker has been honored with a place in the NASA Hall of Fame in the United States for its outstanding achievements and involvement in battery-powered instruments for NASA's Gemini and Apollo programs.
Interestingly, iRobot Corporation, one of the most popular manufacturers of modern floor-standing robotic vacuum cleaners, began with space research and collaborated with NASA.
The next time you vacuum a car interior, a keyboard, or collect crumbs from a table with a tiny vacuum cleaner, remember that this invention has cosmic roots.
Filters for water
Water is the basis of life. So far, life has not been found on any other planet, and long-term space expeditions do not allow you to take huge supplies of water with you, because every kilogram counts. But there are no hopeless situations: this is how water filters appeared.
In the 50s of the twentieth century, another legendary NASA development appeared, which made it possible to convert dirty water into drinkable water. Fundamentally new in the water filters installed on the ISS was the use of silver ions, which are safe for humans, since chlorine cleaning was not suitable for these needs. Silver allows you to neutralize pathogenic bacteria and prevent their further growth.
Later, in the 1970s, NASA began using a system that recycles used water into reusable water. Water purification in this case occurs on the basis of the reverse osmosis process, which allows removing particles with sizes of 0.0001-0.001 microns from the liquid. This way you can clean and sea water from salt. True, doctors do not recommend her to get involved, since there are no useful minerals in such water either.
As a result, the astronauts during the expedition drink water obtained from the liquid they drank earlier. According to NASA calculations, in a 12-month expedition, each member of the ISS crew needs an average of 730 liters of drinking regenerated water. The water cycle in a closed space.
Technology does not stand still: in 2013, the world was introduced to the world a water bottle with a ÖKO filtration system based on NASA developments. The three-level filter system inside this bottle, according to the developers, turned sweet soda into the purest water. During a public experiment, it turned out that the filter is not omnipotent, and the liquid remains sweetish. But if not soda is passed through the filter, then the device should work. However, it never went on sale.
bioprinter
Over the past 20 years, tissue engineering methods have been actively used in research on the effects of weightlessness and cosmic radiation on the human body. A deep dive into this issue made it possible to understand that space will also help to make a breakthrough on Earth.
Weightlessness creates favorable conditions for the formation of spheroids ( building materials for bioprinting) from cells and for their fusion with each other. Scientists suggest that the maturation of printed tissues and organs under weightless conditions will be much faster and more efficient.
Under conditions of terrestrial gravity, layer-by-layer bioprinting is used, and in space, magnetic bioprinting can be used. Previously, several scientific groups were able to obtain tissue spheroids using magnetic exposure, which formed the basis for the development of principles for the use of nanotechnology for the bioprinting of complex tissues and organs.
The Russian company 3D Bioprinting Solutions, whose main investor is Invitro, has developed a new approach to magnetic 3D bioprinting. Scientists have found that tissue spheroids placed in a non-uniform magnetic field form a bioconstruct more efficiently. The company is currently running the world's first in-orbit magnetic bioprinting experiment on a magnetic 3D bioprinter that was launched into space in early December.
The results of the experiment can be evaluated after the return of printed tissues and organ constructs to Earth and histological studies. And already at the beginning of 2019 they will be made public. If successful, the experiment will improve the technology of three-dimensional bioprinting. Instead of solid biodegradable scaffolds, there will be magnetic fields. This will make it possible to print tissues and organs with a complex structure, and will also make it possible to analyze the processes of tissue metabolism in space flight conditions. In the future, this will help astronauts make long flights, and will be in demand in the field of transplantology and will allow testing the effect of drugs on printed tissue samples. For example, it will be possible to test the effect of drugs on malignant tumors taken from a person and printed on a printer.
Space developments have a huge reserve of potential and will make changes in our lives more than once. Further - only more interesting.
Air purifier or scrubber
Developments for the ISS have revolutionized air purification systems for hospitals, schools, offices, homes and other indoor air-conditioned environments.
The problem of a closed or partially closed air conditioning system, when the same air circulates through the rooms, unfortunately, is due to progress, the construction of high-rise buildings, improved thermal insulation, etc. It is especially difficult for people suffering from asthma or allergies to be in such an environment. In standard air conditioning systems, they often forget to change filters - various allergens, dust, mold and bacteria settle on the walls and lead to unpleasant odors and the development of diseases.
A real revolution in air purification was made by the invention of a scrubber - a device capable of filtering air to an almost sterile state without the use of chemicals. Airocide technology, which can clean even indoor surfaces (such as tables in food areas or toilet seats), reducing pollution by up to 99%, was developed by NASA for the ISS. The need for such a device arose in order to rid the air of ethylene produced by plants. Since 1998, the device has been installed as an experiment in grocery stores, and since 2003 - in medical institutions. The household air purifier of the same name - Airocide - went on sale in 2013.
Based on NASA technology, it was developed new system ActivePure, which formed the basis of the Air Scrubber Plus device. Manufacturers claim that it is easy to connect to almost any heating and cooling system. The principle of operation of the scrubber is based on the combination of UV radiation, oxygen, water molecules passed through honeycombs coated with titanium dioxide and other reacting metals. Additional air purification occurs due to oxidation with superoxide, hydroxyl and hydrogen peroxide ions.
So the ISS shared with humanity one of the most vital inventions, allowing you to breathe deeply.
Modern tires
Car tires according to the type of construction are divided into diagonal and radial. The latter are preferred, as they are able to withstand more than 70,000 km of run. But this was not always the case: strong and wear-resistant tires were presented to the world by an expedition to Mars.
The NASA Mars space program has been in preparation since the late 1960s, and the launch from Cape Canaveral took place in 1975. The mission was called "Viking" and included sending two identical devices "Viking-1" and "Viking-2" into orbit and the surface of the planet. When working on the creation of spacecraft, the department collaborated with the famous tire manufacturer, Goodyear. The specialists had to develop ultra-strong parachute lines for landing on the Red Planet.
The fibrous material of the lines eventually became the basis for the production of modern radial tires. It is five times stronger than steel, which made it possible to increase the mileage of rubber up to 16,000 km. The inventors were counting on a shorter service life, so they were pleasantly surprised by the tests in space.
The secret of radial tires lies in the location of the cords at an angle of 90º along the entire tire tread, and the adhesion points with the surface are reinforced with steel. Nowadays, almost all factories produce cars with radial tires.
Since last year, NASA has again been testing a new superelastic material for missions to Mars, and it will be possible to use it on Earth as well. The design is made of an alloy of metals, has a memory effect (original shape) and is able to withstand high loads. It is elastic because it can change its rigidity by controlling the amount of energy transferred to transport.
Freeze drying products
Space technologies "had a hand" in Food Industry. Instant coffee, berries in breakfast cereals, and more go through a lyophilization process before reaching our cups and plates. Freeze-drying technology was known long before space exploration, but was used mainly in medicine, but the space industry transferred the method to the food industry.
In microgravity, it was necessary to come up with a way of eating in which food would not fly around the interior of the ship. In addition to being simply inconvenient, it is also dangerous, because food particles can get into the respiratory tract and mechanisms. Such food should have a long shelf life at large temperature fluctuations, as well as remain safe, nutritious and tasty.
Before the launch of the Apollo space program, NASA, according to one source, collaborated with the world's largest food manufacturer, Nestle. According to other information, Whirlpool produced the first dehydrated ice cream just for the Apollo mission. Be that as it may, the researchers in the course of the experiments used the method of dry freezing, based on the property of ice to evaporate, bypassing the liquid phase. As a result, dehydration of the original product subjected to shock freezing occurs with minimal shrinkage, and further vacuumization allows preserving its taste, smell and nutritional properties. Just add water before eating.
Freeze-drying technology allows you to close almost any dish in a tube with space nutrition - even soups, meatballs and cereals. Dishes and products prepared in this way can be stored for up to five years at temperatures ranging from -50 to +50°C. The diet of American astronauts currently consists of 50% freeze-dried foods, and the other half is processed foods.
So the technology of freeze-drying or freeze-drying got into our diet. Instant coffee, the production of which is based on this method, is now in every home.
Fire-fighting equipment
Incidents on the ISS are not uncommon, and crew safety is of particular concern. The space industry gave us fireproof paint and smoke detectors. The latter appeared long before the conquest of space, but they acquired a modern compact and barely noticeable look thanks to developments for astronauts.
This happened in the 1970s, when NASA, together with Honeywell, a company specializing in electronic control and automation systems, developed a compact version of the smoke detector. Such detectors ensured fire and gas safety aboard the Skylab, the first and only orbital station USA.
The novelty worked on a self-charging nickel-cadmium battery, and also had several levels of sensitivity to avoid false alarms. With the help of the sensor, the crew could learn about a fire or the presence of toxic gases in the atmosphere of the ship.
On account of the space industry, another fire-fighting development is refractory paint. AVCO Corporation came up with a protective material for the launch of the Apollo capsule so that its skin does not melt when it enters the dense layers of the atmosphere. The coating was created from a material that, when heated, expands, burns and dissipates heat. Later, a paint with similar properties was developed on its basis. Now this paint is used to cover the load-bearing structures of high-rise buildings, stoves, barbecues and much more.
In this way, space technologies help to ensure security on Earth as well.
Laser vision correction
Laser vision correction surgery is considered simple, but you will be surprised to learn that it is based on the principle of docking spacecraft.
The name of the technology lidar (LIDAR - English light identification, detection and ranging, that is, "detection, identification and range determination with the help of light") has become a household name. It helps to obtain information about the distance of objects using active optical systems that use the phenomena of absorption and scattering of light in optically transparent media, with an accuracy of up to a millimeter.
In the 1960s, lidar with laser emitters began to be used to study the atmosphere. And in 1969, it was installed on Apollo 11 to estimate the distance from the Earth to the Moon. The "targets" delivered to this mission, left on the surface of the Moon, are still used to observe its orbit.
Space docking systems are based on lidars, they are often used in geodesy and cartography to assess the surface of the Earth, as well as to measure the depth of the sea, save people, prevent forest fires, and much more.
LIDAR also came in handy in medicine: earlier, during vision correction surgery, surgeons used video cameras to direct the laser to the desired areas of the cornea, but the human eyeball makes a huge number of micromovements that are not captured by the cameras. Sometimes the operation had to be stopped due to the increased risk. The technology of space docking allowed to solve this problem, since with its help the laser itself catches the movements of the eye and allows not to harm the patient.
So the technology for docking spacecraft became a real breakthrough in ophthalmology and helped many people to permanently solve vision problems.
Canadarm robotic arm
On November 13, 1981, the space shuttle Columbia delivered one of Canadarm's most ambitious developments into orbit. The length of the manipulator was 15.2 m, the diameter was 38 cm, and the weight was 410 kg. The mechanical arm was even more maneuverable than the human one, all three "joints" had six degrees of freedom, that is, they could move forward / backward, up / down and left / right.
The first Canadarm and its descendants, the Canadarm 2 and Dextre, helped greatly in the construction and operation of the International Space Station. Robotic arms delivered the equipment to the right position, provided detailed control over the process with the help of cameras, and even “kept” a person in a spacesuit.
After 30 years of successful work in space, the technology of the mechanical arm has found application on Earth. Manipulators are used to work on nuclear power plants, remote maintenance of power lines, cleaning of radioactive and other hazardous waste. But Canadarm made a revolution in the field of medicine: on the basis of this system, robotic assistants for surgical interventions were created.
In 2008, MD Robotics collaborated with researchers at the University of Calgary to create the NeuroArm for brain surgery. In 2014, Canadian scientists developed IGAR, an autonomous surgical platform for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. The robot collects information that can be analyzed using an MRI machine. A year later, Synaptive Medical introduced the BrightMatter Drive robot microscope, and later its improved Modus V model. These robotic systems allow you to get a detailed image of the internal organs of the patient and increase the accuracy of operations.
So space technology Canadarm has become a step into the future, where the doctor will be able to rely on a robotic assistant, and complex operations will be performed with inhuman precision.
Modern research shows that a person forgets about 70% of the information seen and heard during the day. We invite you to take a test and consolidate your knowledge of important space inventions in order to better understand our life and, if necessary, show off your erudition among friends.
Have you ever wondered what impact space exploration can have on our daily lives? In fact, quite a few things that surround us exist entirely due to scientific research and technologies developed by NASA. They allow us to feel the contribution that space exploration makes to our daily lives.
Although the main goal of NASA has always been the study of the universe, nevertheless, most of the technologies developed by the agency were introduced on Earth and now seem to be simply irreplaceable. Moreover, using most of the things that came into being thanks to NASA, we do not even know about their true origin.
It's no secret that a number of countries are investing huge sums (mainly taxpayer money) in the development of space programs, and from time to time many people ask themselves: is it not better to use this money for other purposes than to spend it on investing in development? space? But they are not entirely right, most of the inventions of NASA today have found their application on our planet, improving the quality of our lives and stimulating the economy. NASA has over 6,300 patents, and today we'll take you through twenty of the most interesting of them.
20. Super Soaker Water Gun
Lonnie Johnson, the NASA engineer whose research helped send astronauts into space and build the stealth bomber, also invented the water super pistol soaker. It was first introduced in 1989 and allowed for faster, more powerful water jets than models already on the market. Since the release of the Super Soaker, this water gun has made it to the top 20 best selling toys in the world.
19. Memory Foam (modified low resilience polyurethane foam)
That's right, NASA cares about your sleep. The material used in the production of orthopedic mattresses and pillows was originally developed for space flights. Polyurethane foam was created to minimize the effects of a collision with the ground during landing. This substance has a unique component that allows it to distribute the impact force over the entire surface, after which it returns to its previous form. Many modern commercial aircraft are also equipped with this kind of protection. As for everyday life, polyurethane foam is also used in medicine, allowing doctors to relieve pressure on certain parts of the patient's body, and is also an integral part of prostheses.
18. Thermal insulation
Back in the days when NASA was looking for a way to secure the Apollo shuttle and astronaut suits and make them suitable for human life, some researchers began to experiment with thermal insulation. There was a need to protect the astronauts from sudden and destructive temperature changes. This is where reflective insulation comes to the rescue. Today, this technology is sometimes used in the construction of commercial and residential buildings.
17. Water-repellent wetsuit
The main contribution to the improvement of the wetsuit was the invention of a technology in which a special “ribbed” fabric was created for it, consisting of grooves indistinguishable to the naked eye. A similar technology is also used in the manufacture of material covering the surface of aircraft and racing yachts, which can significantly reduce friction. NASA, together with Speedo, developed a wetsuit that allowed you to swim 10-15% faster than a regular one. This wetsuit was banned from competition after the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
16. Cordless vacuum cleaner
You probably didn't know that when you use a cordless vacuum cleaner, you're using technology developed for astronauts who landed on the moon. The fact is that during the Apollo mission, NASA needed a portable drill capable of chipping samples from lunar rock. While Black and Decker was the first to invent wireless devices in 1961, it was NASA research that took the technology to where it is today, giving us cordless vacuum cleaners, medical instruments, and more.
15. Water filters
We all know that water is the source of life. For this reason, the ability to turn polluted water into clean water is incredibly valuable. Water purification technology has been known since the 1950s, but NASA needed to take it to the next level by providing astronauts, long trapped on the ISS, with fresh, purified and filtered water. Many companies have adopted NASA's improved water purification technology and brought it into everyday life.
14. Invisible braces
Ceradyne worked with NASA to develop invisible brackets through the Advanced Ceramics Research program. Thanks to them, today wearing braces no longer brings as much discomfort as before. Heat-seeking missile tracking technology was used to develop invisible brackets. As a result, braces were obtained from transparent polycrystalline aluminum, which was originally used in rocket science.
13. Scratch resistant lenses
If you drop your glasses on the ground, they most likely won't break. This is because, starting in 1972, one of the requirements for lens manufacturers was to use plastic instead of glass. This requirement was put forward for three reasons: plastic is cheaper, lighter, less prone to shattering, and better at absorbing ultraviolet radiation than glass. However, plastic had a serious drawback - it scratched easily. NASA took up this issue by developing scratch-resistant lenses, as astronauts needed special protection. Soon, Foster-Grant, a sunglasses company, teamed up with NASA to create a unique plastic coating ten times more scratch-resistant than conventional plastic.
12. Freeze drying
Like anything else, space food requires careful monitoring and attention. Astronauts orbiting the Earth live and work in microgravity, which causes the entire environment to quickly fill up with flying food if left unchecked. Just for such a case, freeze-drying was invented. Together with Nestle, NASA invented a special process for freezing food, which completely deprives them of water, making the process of transportation and storage extremely convenient. In order to eat such a product, you just need to fill it with water, and the food is ready to eat again. Technologies have made it possible to preserve not only the properties, but also the original taste, texture and appearance products.
11. Trainers
Initially, simulators were invented by NASA and were intended to ensure that astronauts exercise regularly and do not lose shape in space due to weightlessness. One of the long-term consequences of prolonged exposure to weightlessness is a general weakening of the body, a decrease in bone density and muscle mass. To avoid degradation while in space, all astronauts need to subject themselves to intense training.
10. Insulin pump
Thanks to the researchers behind the Mars Viking spacecraft, NASA has helped make diabetes management more manageable. In those days, traveling into space was a serious problem, especially monitoring the general health of an astronaut was important. NASA experts were looking for new ways to track the vital signs of the wards over long distances. Then medical experts from the Goddard Space Flight Center created a device that allows you to control the level of sugar in a person’s blood and, if necessary, inject a dose of insulin into the body. Known today as the insulin pump, this invention has helped control sugar levels in people with diabetes since the late 1980s.
9. Infrared ear thermometer
In the past, measuring body temperature was quite a challenge. Until 1991, it was measured with conventional mercury thermometers, on which it was not always possible to see the exact temperature, or with rectal thermometers, which were simply inconvenient. Diatek decided to develop new thermometers using NASA technology to measure the temperature of stars using infrared radiation. Together with NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, Diatek developed an infrared sensor that was supposed to act as an ear thermometer. This simplified and accelerated the temperature measurement process, reducing it to two seconds.
8. Computed tomography
And although NASA did not invent the MRI technology itself, they have contributed to a significant part of this field. In the mid-1960s, after the completion of the moon landing program, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed what is now known as digital image processing to programmatically improve the quality of photographs of the moon. Digital imaging has also played a role in medicine, making it possible to obtain the necessary images of the human body in the right format. Based on this technology, computed tomography and MRI were created.
7. The best software
Google and NASA have been collaborating on various projects for quite some time now. Their work includes 3D maps of Mars and the Moon, real-time tracking of the ISS, and weather visualization and forecasting. Now these two giants of modern technology are studying the issue of data management, human-computer interaction, and the distribution of multiple computing. All this with the sole purpose of facilitating and making more accessible to our perception of a huge amount of information and data. At the moment, funds from NASA and their partners are being spent on studying virtual reality issues, improving existing programs, training in modeling and improving the quality of photographs.
6. Aircraft anti-icing system
KATS (Kelly Aerospace Therma Systems) worked with NASA to develop integration mechanisms for a thermoelectric anti-icing system called Thermawing, which is an air conditioner designed for single-engine aircraft. The system uses a flexible, electrically conductive graphite foil attached to the leading edge of the wing. After turning on the system, the foil heats up quickly, melting all the ice from the wings.
5. Cochlear implant
Cochlear implants were invented in the late 1970s by Adam Kissia Jr., a NASA engineer working on the space shuttle program. And although he did not have a medical background, he decided to try to apply all the knowledge of NASA in the field of telemetry, electronic sensing systems, and sound and vibration sensors, in the hope that this would help create a better hearing aid. It was then that he came up with the idea of creating a modernized auditory implant that would transmit digital impulses that stimulate auditory nerve endings, which, in turn, would transmit signals to the brain.
4. Mine Disposal
NASA, together with Thiokol Propulsion, managed to create a special technology that made it possible to destroy mines at a safe distance using rocket fuel. This device uses an electric lighter that ignites and neutralizes mines without any detonation. For this, solid propellant is used, which burns a hole in the wall of the mine and then burns out all the explosive inside, neutralizing it to the maximum.
3. Solar energy
NASA created a program called ERAST, the main goal of which was to create remotely piloted aircraft capable of flying at high altitudes for several days in a row, which would require additional power sources. But the conventional approach would increase the weight of the apparatus, so it was decided to use solar cells based on single-crystal silicon, which are currently available at a relatively low price. The technology of these solar devices provided the devices with 50% more power than conventional solar panels would. Thanks to this invention, millions of homes have been provided with cheap and non-polluting environment energy.
2. Smoke detectors
In fact, NASA did not invent the first smoke detector, but in the 1970s, together with Honeywell Corporation, they developed a new version of the smoke detector. The upgraded smoke detector was equipped with self-recharging nickel-cadmium batteries. All this was due to the fact that astronauts aboard the first US space station Skylab needed to receive immediate warning in the event of a fire or a leak of harmful gases. NASA-modified smoke detectors had adjustable sensitivity to avoid false alarms.
1. Artificial limbs
One of NASA's most inspiring inventions has been the creation of modified prostheses. Continued funding in this area has led to the discovery of shock-absorbing materials, allowing the creation of improved prosthetic options for both humans and animals. Continuous development better and more functional dynamic artificial limbs was entirely based on the results of research by Environmental Robots Inc, related to the research and development of artificial muscle and space robotics by NASA specialists.
