10 Everyday Objects That Prove Your Life Probably Wouldn’t Be The Same Without NASA

The origins of many products used on a daily basis are unknown to a large part of the population. An example of this are the objects created by NASA. After all, the US space agency is not just synonymous with rockets, satellites and space conquest. Contrary to what many people think, space exploration ensured the existence of essential tools.

In this way, the awesome.club selected a series of everyday objects that prove that your life would not be the same without NASA. Come with us and check it out!

GPS, originally called NAVSTAR (Natigation System with Timing Ranging), was developed by the US Department of Defense with the aim of becoming the main navigation system for the US armed forces. Today, GPS is considered a versatile space-based radionavigation system, being used in three segments: space, user and control.

In addition, at the moment, there are more than 30 operational satellites in orbit, which emit radio signals simultaneously, uninterruptedly and precisely. Its use can be made in cell phones, agriculture or even in automobiles. Have you ever thought about what your life would be like without Waze GPS or Google Maps to help you get to a desired location?

Undoubtedly, television plays an important role in our lives and in our communication. In 1962, the transmission of the TV set had an impactful change, the exchange of information between continents. Thanks to the small artificial satellite Telstar 1, developed by Americans, French and British, the first satellite transmission across the Atlantic Ocean took place that same year. In this way, broadcasting has contributed significantly to globalization.

Satellite television underwent constant transformations and digital TV, implemented a few years ago in Brazil, is one of the results of this evolution, showing images with higher quality and less interference.

In the 1960s, NASA developed a kind of foam to be used in airplane seats for the US space agency to provide greater comfort, safety and protection for pilots and passengers. Known as ‘slow return foam’, or ‘memory foam’, it gained this unusual name, because when any pressure is exerted against it, it returns to its original shape, slowly, after the compression is removed.

Currently, viscoelastic foam has been adapted for everyday use and is used in pillows, beds, sofas and even more comfortable shoes. In addition, the material is also used in helmets, amusement park rides, vehicle seats and medical prostheses. This, without a doubt, is proof that NASA’s famous pillow really came from space.

In the Apollo era, NASA implemented a process known as “rubber blow molding”, used in the production of helmets and for the creation of shoe soles. The innovative process allowed the space soles to be filled with a shock-absorbing material.

In this way, Frank Rudy, a former NASA engineer, had the revolutionary idea of ​​creating a shock absorber suitable for footwear and presented it to the Nike Corporation. In his performance, Rudy used a cushion made of interconnected air cells under the heel and forefoot to cushion the blow against the ground. Thus, the famous Nike Air and other shoes with shock absorbers were born. How not to love the lunar era for making possible the existence of shoes that leave our little feet in the clouds?

Some hair products originated with research on nanomaterials developed by NASA. After many studies on the subject, Farouk Systems, a company in the beauty and aesthetics segment, incorporated a technology created by the North American space agency in its CHI hair iron (Cationic Hydration Interlink). When heated, the ceramic material released ions that softened and smoothed the hair, which originated the famous flat iron and allowed women all over the world to have, if they so desired, straight hair.

In the 1970s, Skylab, America’s first space station, wanted to avoid endangering the lives of astronauts in unpredictable fires. In this way, Honeywell, a company contracted by NASA, created a device that detected toxic gases and smoke. In 1979, the introduction of ionization detection devices became present and became popular in homes and buildings, mainly because it was cheaper, more sensitive and more effective.

In the 1970s, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) established that all eyeglasses manufactured in the United States must be resistant to breakage and, therefore, manufacturers replaced glass lenses with plastic ones. Despite the change ensuring more resistance to the lenses, plastic proved to be a material that receives scratches very easily. It was then thanks to the discoveries of the AMES Research Center that lens protection technology became available.

The outer environments have particles and dust that can damage aerospace equipment, including astronauts’ suit visors. To ensure greater protection of these gadgets, NASA developed a process that uses a highly abrasion resistant coating, created by the Research Center, to protect the plastic surfaces. However, the manufacturer Foster Grant combined its technology with that of NASA and, therefore, today we have more resistant sunglasses and prescription glasses. Thanks to space research, your glasses won’t get scratched by the slightest thing.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory developed technology for space missions that included the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, used to measure the temperature of planets and stars from their emitted radiation. In 1991, Diatek Corporation made good use of technology and launched the infrared ear thermometer, an object used to measure temperature without the need for direct contact with human skin. In this way, other thermometers used the same technology and, currently, temperature measurement can be done instantly and without physical contact.

In the 1970s, Viking probes were sent to Mars to study the red planet. Scientists were aware that at least one of the probes, designed to explore the surface of the Martian environment, had to be strictly strong and resistant. In this way, NASA collaborated with Goodyear and the Rubber Company to develop a material five times stronger than steel, offering the probes the adequate and necessary support they needed to move around the planet.

After the space mission, this technology was used in the production of tires for motor vehicles, increasing the product’s quality of life and ensuring more safety for the driver.

During space missions, astronauts lose bone and muscle mass. To stay in shape, avoid illness, and even be able to get around without assistance after their mission, they need to exercise every day. In zero gravity, physical activities should not contain weights, as they would float and not deliver the correct strength for muscle development.

In this way, Paul Francis created for NASA an exercise machine composed of resistance technology, formed by springs and cables. Currently, it is easily found in gyms and can also be used at home. Who knew that the device you use to work out is the same as the space gym, huh?

What products did you already know were created thanks to NASA? Which object shocked you the most? Tell us in the comments.