NASA

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration might very well be my deepest obsession. I know I have stated that I don’t claim to be an expert on anything. However in the twenty nine years I have been on this planet, I can confidently say I have been studying NASA for twenty five of them. NASA and space exploration for that matter is a topic that I can certainly speak on a high level and with a lot of confidence. My father and I rarely agree on many topics, however planes and space travel are two topics, for the most part where we agree entirely. When we “discuss” politics it gets frustrating, but when we discuss airplanes and space it really is a lot of fun. So it is obvious that my obsession from an early age certainly came from my father. My father fed my obsession with space shuttle launches on TV, rocket models, rocket legos, and watching movies like Apollo 13, The Right Stuff, and From the Earth to the Moon, on a constant loop. As I grew older I started to understand that NASA wasn’t just something that was responsible for launching cool rockets into space, but in many ways has directly influenced almost every facet of our lives for the last fifty years. The fact that most people really don’t understand or appreciate how truly influential NASA has been is exactly why we will be talking about NASA this week. 

I know I have a tendency to be hyperbolic and romantic about things. But I really don’t think that it’s outrageous to claim that NASA has directly influenced at the very least, the course of technology in the latter part of the 20th century. However technology, healthcare, medicine, food, communications, fashion, recreation, politics, television, and movies have all been influenced by NASA and space exploration in some way. The problems that NASA had to solve to get into space and eventually to the moon were extraordinary. Many of these problems were “mission critical”. Meaning that if they couldn’t be solved, the rockets wouldn’t get off the ground let alone into space. At the end of this post I will leave a list of things invented by NASA, however right now I am just going to go over a few that I think are some of the most important. 

Fire Fighting and Prevention

Fire in space is a terrifying prospect. The atmospheres on space craft are typically oxygen rich environments combined with what is often experimental electronic technology. Oh and one major problem there is nowhere to escape once you're in space. Nothing gets done quickly either, once you’re in space you can’t just quickly come back if something goes wrong. Preventing fires and fighting fires was almost at the very top of NASA’s mission critical checklist. NASA learned it’s lesson very early on and very tragically during Apollo One. Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were killed during a routine training exercise, when a fire broke out in their capsule. The oxygen rich environment combined with sparks and their inability to escape quickly led to advancements that not only benefited NASA and the safety of it’s astronauts, but advancements that still save lives today. 

The adjustable smoke detector was created by NASA to detect fire as early as possible in space crafts. It was used in Apollo capsules, and the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors as we know them today were perfected for NASA’s Skylab program. Honeywell built the detectors for NASA and used the technology to produce the modern commercial smoke detectors that save thousands of lives a year. 

Coming back to earth once you’re in space is extremely difficult. It’s arguably more difficult than actually getting up there in the first place. However the bottom line is that there is no point going up if you can’t come back down. Now without getting too technical the reason why Atmospheric Entry is so difficult, is because of friction. That is an overly simplified explanation but the speed combined with the thickness of the earths atmosphere creates immense heat on the spacecraft as it re-enters the earths atmosphere. NASA had to develop paints, adhesives, and materials that could withstand the 3000 degree temperatures of re-entry. All of these items are used daily in and on buildings to prevent the spread of fires. Firefighting equipment has benefited enormously from NASA. Lightweight breathing systems including face masks, frame harnesses, and air bottles, use aluminum composites created by NASA. Radio communications are essential during a fire to coordinate hose lines, rescue victims, and otherwise improve safety. NASA has contributed to the development of the lower-cost, durable, short-range two-way radio used by most fire departments. They created specialized and flexible heat-resistant materials designed to protect the space shuttle on reentry and as a result lightweight masks and firefighting clothing were developed and are used by firefighters everyday. 

Other things developed by NASA are, but not limited to…

Cell Phones: The advancement of satellite communication laid the foundation of the mobile communications industry. 

Cell Phone Cameras: In the 1990’s NASA developed a micro sensor for cameras that could fit on planetary rovers and probes. This technology was adapted to point and shoot digital cameras and cellphones. Nearly a third of all cameras today use technology developed in the early 1990’s by NASA. 

Cat Scanners: Digital imaging plays a vital role on spacecrafts and probes. The scientists that developed the imagers and scanners used on spacecraft, used their knowledge to develop CAT Scanners and the radiography industry. 

LED’s: A technology that was developed by NASA as an efficient light source and for displays in early spacecraft, has flourished for over 60 years. Most likely the screen you are looking at right now is an LED display. This can also be considered as another way NASA contributed to the development of the cell phone. 

Athletic Shoes: A combination of NASA inventions led to Athletic Shoes. Memory Foam, Innersoles, Silicone Polyurethane Plastics, and even Velcro were all invented and or developed by NASA. These combined, helped create the sneakers and athletic shoes we know today. 

Infrared Ear thermometers, portable computers, walkie talkies, fiberglass, foil blankets, Velcro, cordless power tools, water filtration, enriched baby food, freeze drying, scores of new types of lubricants, thermal blankets, thermal protection, remote controlled devices, improved radial tires, The Jaws of Life, The Dust Buster, Wireless Headsets, artificial limbs, the computer mouse, and truly so much more. 

Besides the tangible things NASA has done it’s the intangible that is harder to quantify. How do you calculate the artists, inventors, explorers, and scientists that all went into their fields as a direct result of the advancements NASA has made or just functioned as an inspiration for them? NASA as it stands now is underfunded, undervalued, and under appreciated. People say “how can we afford to spend money in space, when we have all these problems here on earth?” My simple response knowing what I know, is how can we afford not to?