Inventions from Space
You might not realize it, but your everyday life has been directly affected thanks to space travel. Here are some of the inventions we use thanks to the people at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
EAR THERMOMETERS
The technology behind ear thermometers was originally created to measure the temperature of stars using infrared radiation. Now, this same technology is used to measure the amount of energy leaving the ear canal, giving us the perfect temperature reading (almost) every time.
COMPUTER MOUSE
Believe it or not, the first computers didn’t have a computer mouse to help click on items. In the 1960s, computers were mainly used as arithmetic machines, and moving data on the screen was becoming very difficult. After a NASA researcher came up with the idea to manipulate data on the screen, the computer was forever changed by one small device.
PORTABLE COMPUTERS
Raise your hand if you own or know someone who owns a laptop computer. With the need to collect and compute data in space, the first portable computer was designed to be small enough to fit onboard a spacecraft and able to with-stand zero gravity. Originally called the Grid Compass, the laptop used a piece of velcro on the bottom to help keep it in place as astronauts moved it from place to place on the space shuttle.
BABY FORMULA
While scientists researched ways to improve the nutrition of astronauts in space, they stumbled upon a very important discovery. When testing different types of algae, scientists at NASA discovered that certain algae contained important fatty acids that are present in breastmilk and are essential for newborn babies’ growth. A company soon caught on and started using the fatty acids, called DHA and ARA, in baby formula. Although scientists don’t know the long term benefits of these new additions to baby formula, the short term benefits are clear and helping babies all over the world.
SMOKE DETECTORS
Fires can be very dangerous anywhere, but fires in space could cause extreme damage. NASA needed a way to detect fires in space in order to decrease the potential damage. It wasn’t before long that a company created a device that was able to detect smoke particles in the air and sound an alarm. Smoke particles are larger in space then they are on Earth, which means there is a chance that smoke can be detected in space before a fire breaks out. The research is still ongoing, but scientists are getting close to being able to detect fires early.
Athletic Shoes
After creating special helmets for the Apollo astronauts, one NASA engineer took that same technology and decided it would make a very comfortable shoe. By making a hollowed-out rubber sole, the engineer created a more comfortable and shock-absorbing shoe. He pitched the idea to Nike and the Nike Air shoe was born!