What Space-age Inventions Have You Touched Today?
Exploring
space is not easy. Space engineers and scientists have invented many new things
to make it safe and not too expensive to go into space. Some of the inventions
are used to help humans live in space. Showers and toilets that work without
gravity are examples of inventions used on the Space Shuttle and International
Space Station. Other inventions are used on spacecraft going to Mars and beyond.
Many things invented for space are also very useful right here on Earth. New
inventions or new uses for things invented for space are called "spinoffs." For
example, special materials were developed for space suits to protect astronauts
from the harsh environment of space. These same materials are used in the
special clothing that fire fighters wear to protect them from the harsh
environment of a building on fire! Cordless tools were invented for the Apollo
astronauts to use on the moon. Cordless drills and vacuum cleaners are examples
of spinoffs from these inventions.
Doctors can now take amazing pictures of people's insides to find out exactly
what is wrong with them. These pictures are possible because of technology
developed to process pictures from space. And what about the TV satellite dish
you may have on your roof? Space program technology helped to make those
pictures and sounds crisp and clear.
If it weren't for the space program, some of these wonderful inventions might never have come about! Find out about more space program spinoffs and play the Spinoffs Memory Game at The Space Place, http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/spinoffs.htm .
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This computer game joystick, made by ThrustMaster, uses technology developed for a Space shuttle hand controller. The design for these toy gliders (AeroNerf Gliders), made by Hasbro, Inc., benefited from NASA wind tunnel and aerodynamic research. |
The Space Place is a web site for children with fun and educational activities and facts related to many of NASA's space missions. This article was provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by Caltech in Pasadena.