10 Everyday NASA Inventions

NASA is beginning to make a recovery after many years of slashed budgets and missing funding. The Orion spacecraft is beginning to pave the way for sustained deep space travel. For those of us who aren’t planning to go to Mars, there are hundreds of products that we take for granted every day that we wouldn’t have had without the innovations of NASA. Here are the top 10 NASA inventions you probably use every single day.

1. Memory Foam. Did you climb out of your memory foam mattress this morning? If so, you can thank NASA for your good night’s sleep. Memory foam was originally designed for the seats in the space shuttles, to help minimize landing impact for the astronauts inside. Now, you can find it in mattresses, ergonomic chairs, and even airline seats.
2. Handheld Vacuum Cleaners. For little spills, it’s a lot easier to grab the battery powered handheld vacuum cleaner from its charger than it is to haul out the big wheeled version of the device. These, and other battery powered handheld tools, were perfected for use on the Apollo missions, including the ones that landed on the moon.
3. Water Filters. A lot of us can’t live without our filtered water pitcher or water bottles. Thank NASA. In the 1950s, NASA perfected the technology because it was essential to provide clean water for the astronauts while they were in space.
4. Scratch-Resistant Lenses. There is nothing worse than getting a big scratch across the lens of your glasses. Imagine how bad it would be to get a scratch like that across the surface of your space helmet! NASA teamed up with the Foster-Grand sunglass company to create a coating that makes glasses and astronaut helmet visors, up to 10 times more scratch resistant than standard plastic.
5. Workout Machines. Treadmills and other similar machines were originally invented by NASA, so you can thank them the next time you go to the gym. Spending time in zero gravity causes the astronaut’s bodies to break down, losing muscle tone and bone density. To forestall this breakdown, exercise machines were invented to allow the astronauts to continue training while in space.
6. Insulin Pumps. Today, insulin pumps are fairly common tools to help people with diabeties manage their condition. They were originally invented as a means to monitor astronaut’s vital signs from long distances.
7. Cochlear Implants. These devices are designed to help people who suffer from deafness, and were invented by a NASA engineer. Throughout his career, Adam Kissiah Jr worked with NASA developing electronic sensing systems and sound/vibration monitors. From these inventions, he was able to design an implant that allowed sound vibrations to be sent directly to the auditory nerve endings, bypassing the ear entirely.
8. Microchips. In our technologically saturated world, microchips run everything from our mobile phones to our coffee machines. Those microchips are descendants of the original integrated circuits that were used in the Apollo modules and guidance systems.
9. Insulation. Yes, we’re talking about that pink fluffy stuff that’s probably in your walls or attic right now. Insulation was originally developed by NASA as a way to make temperature control in their pods and space suits easier.
10. Super Soakers. The most famous water gun of all time was developed by a nuclear engineer named Lonnie G. Johnson who worked for NASA.

Even if they haven’t gotten us to Mars yet, NASA has made contributions to the world that is still being used to this day. Think about that the next time you wonder why the government is still funding NASA.