10 everyday NASA inventions and spin

Dec 10, 2023

Bound by its motto "for the benefit of all" since its formation NASA has had an obligation to foster and transfer its technological and scientific breakthroughs to the public and commercial spheres

Many tools, machines and facilities within your home have their origins in research undertaken by NASA over the past 50 years.

Technology originally designed to aid space exploration and land a human on the moon — an endeavor instigated by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961, where he announced a series of exciting new missions including the groundbreaking Apollo program, has been successfully spun off to create some of the staple day-to-day products we now take for granted.

From golf balls to gamepads and computers to crash helmets, NASA's technology has been picked up and adapted by specialist companies who have brought it into the public commercial sphere, delivering new and revolutionary products that have transformed how people live their lives and interact with their environment.

Throughout this article, we delve deep into the NASA archives to discover the innovative research and inventions that made ten of the most common everyday household products possible.

Related: Who invented the telescope?

Spin-off from: Spacecraft filtration

Mission: Apollo program

Date: 1963 to 1972

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

To achieve this goal, NASA developed a system that worked by utilizing charcoal's ability to absorb pollutants and particulate matter present within the water when specially treated. This treatment — essentially an oxidization process that opens up millions of tiny pores between carbon atoms in the charcoal — amplified the absorbability of the charcoal, which with its large, porous surface area provided many sites for pollutants to chemically bond with it through attraction. This left the resultant water clear of impurities.

Spin-off from: Integrated circuits

Mission: Apollo program

Date: 1963 to 1972

NASA technically didn't invent the integrated circuit, credited to electrical engineer Jack Kilby in 1958, but instead invented newer and more advanced variants of it. Indeed, it's easily argued that NASA's Apollo program kickstarted the microchip revolution, with the administration buying more than 60 percent of America's integrated circuits throughout the whole of the 1960s, deliberately allowing the industry to acclimatize itself to mass production and stabilizing it while few other markets existed.

One of the first high-profile usages of microchip technology was in the Apollo Guidance Computer with its DSKY interface, which was used to provide onboard computation and control for navigation, as well as control over the Command Module and Lunar Module. Today, integrated circuits can be found in almost every area of life, from mobile phones and personal computers to microwaves and calculators, mainly thanks to the cheap processing and manufacture of microchips worldwide.

Spin-off from: Impact-absorbing foam

Mission: Apollo program

Date: 1970s

In the 1970s NASA invented temper foam, a shock-absorbing material designed to improve the safety of aircraft cushions. The foam was fitted to the helmets and seats of its Apollo spacecraft, a lining that would help mitigate some of the extreme forces astronauts would be subjected to.

Temper foam is a polyurethane treated with additional chemicals that has both high viscosity and density, properties ideal for absorbing significant impacts and resisting energy flow. The foam is viscoelastic and temperature sensitive, meaning that when pressed against a heat source, such as a human. it molds to that shape, aiding fit and reducing unwanted gaps.

Temper foam was released into the public sphere in the early 1980s, soon being picked up and utilized in medical equipment such as temper foam mattresses and sports equipment such as American football helmets and cycle helmets

Spin-off from: Cordless zero-impact wrench

Mission: Project Gemini, Apollo program

Date: mid-1960s

After Kennedy announced the Apollo program in 1961, a deluge of research commenced into the practicalities of human spaceflight. One of the most notable breakthroughs was NASA's collaborative invention with tool company Black+Decker into a cordless zero-impact wrench, a tool that could spin bolts in zero gravity without spinning the astronaut. From this, the research program developed cordless tools for a variety of purposes, including a cordless rotary hammer drill that could be used for extracting rock from the moon's surface.

These tools worked by exploiting the emerging technology of smallscale rechargeable electrochemical cells that could be grouped to form a battery pack capable of delivering enough power to generate the requisite amount of torque necessary to bore into the moon's surface crust. Today this technology has become common and widespread, with the majority of tools operating off a cordless battery pack that can be recharged between uses. Interestingly, it was directly from the research done by NASA in the 1960s that Black+Decker developed the cordless 'Dust Buster' handheld vacuum cleaner.

Spin-off from: Scratch-resistant spacesuit visor and scratch-proof glass and plastic coatings

Mission: Apollo program

Date: 1963 to 1972

After NASA realized that plastics were a lot better at absorbing ultraviolet light and didn't shatter if dropped, space visors were produced using plastic. However, uncoated plastic easily scratched, and considering the amount of dust and rubble in a space environment, it was determined scratchproof lenses and coatings needed to be developed.

Due to NASA's research, space visors are now coated with diamondlike carbon coatings that are applied in thin films to the outside of the visor and toughen it massively. An offshoot of this technology is now available on Ray-Ban sunglasses, while Foster Grant historically bought the license to replicate early coatings to apply to its entire range.

Spin-off from: Adjustable smoke detector

Mission: Skylab

Date: 1973

The smoke detector, while invented by Francis Robbins Upton in 1890, wasn't adjustable until NASA invented a model with variable sensitivity in 1973. The units were installed on Skylab to detect toxic vapors on board.

They worked through ionization, a process that involves using a small quantity of the radioactive isotope americium-241 to ionize oxygen and nitrogen atoms in a detector's embedded air chamber, which itself is topped and bottomed with two metal plates attached to the battery. While ionization occurs, the freed electrons are attracted to the plate with a positive voltage plate and the electronless atoms to the negative voltage plate, creating an electric current. When smoke particles from a fire enter the air chamber, they disrupt the current as they attach to the ions and neutralize them. The smoke detector senses the drop in current and sets off the alarm.

Spin-off from: Satellite communication

Mission: Telstar

Date: 1962

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

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

Spin-off from: Lunar boots

Mission: Apollo program

Date: 1963 to 1972

One of the most notable inventions NASA included in its spacesuits was its special 3D 'spacer' material in the boots for cushioning and ventilation. Used to give astronauts better control, agility and longevity while on their feet, the lunar boot was an overshoe that slipped on over the integral pressure boot of the spacesuit.

The outer layer was made from metal-woven fabric, except for the ribbed silicone rubber sole that provided extra springiness and comfort while moonwalking. The tongue area was made from Teflon-coated glass-fiber cloth, while the inner layers were made from this, followed by 25 alternating layers of Kapton film to form an efficient, lightweight thermal insulation. From this, shoe manufacturers created a series of lightweight, warm and springy running shoes and trainers that are now on sale worldwide in high-street shops.

Spin-off from: Drag-resistant surfaces

Mission: Space Shuttle

Date: 1981

As part of the Space Shuttle program, NASA researched maximizing the drag resistance of its new launch system's surfaces, especially for the external fuel tank. The special dimpled surface applied to the tank allowed NASA to hit a more optimum lift-to-drag ratio, getting more distance and stability out of its launch.

After being released into the public sphere, this aerodynamic coating was studied by the Wilson Sporting Goods Company. Its engineers learned that by applying dimples to the surface of a golf ball, the ball could glide more smoothly with less aerodynamic drag. With 3D computer graphic software, the Wilson engineers were able to predict the progress made for the new golf ball and designed one with medium-sized dimples that created both high lift and increased gliding potential. Today, all golf balls utilize this dimpled coating.

Spin-off from: Apollo lunar lander

Mission: Apollo 15 to 17

Date: 1971 to 1972

As with smoke detectors, joysticks already existed before NASA picked up the technology, but they were unrecognizable from the products we see today. Indeed, it was only through NASA's work on joystick technology as a control mechanism for its Apollo lunar rover, which would be used in the last three Apollo missions to the moon, that we have the digital joystick and thumbstick technology we see in cars, planes and video game control pads.

The lunar rover's controller was a T-shaped joystick and worked through a series of motors — four for driving and two for steering. Moving the stick forward powered the rover forward, left and right turned the vehicle left or right and pulling backward activated the brakes. Activating a switch on the joystick before pulling back would put the lunar rover into reverse while pulling the handle all the way back activated a parking brake.

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