Many tools, machines and facilities within your home have their origins in research undertaken by NASA over the past 50 years. Technology originally designed to aid space exploration and land a human on the Moon – an endeavour instigated by US President John F. Kennedy in 1961, where he announced a series of exciting new missions including the groundbreaking Apollo program, as well as numerous research projects – has been successfully and creatively spun off to create some of the staple day-to-day products we now take for granted. From golf balls to gamepads and computers to crash helmets, NASA’s technology has been picked up and adapted by specialist companies who have brought it into the public commercial sphere, delivering new and revolutionary products that have transformed how people live their lives and interact with their environment.
Throughout these pages, All About Space delves deep into the NASA archives to discover the innovative research and inventions that made ten of the most common everyday household products possible.
1 Crash helmets
Spin-off from 1966 research into impact absorption foam.
2 Cordless tools
Invented in 1965 to help astronauts collect lunar samples.
3 Personal computers
Made possible thanks to NASA’s adoption of the tech during the Apollo program.
4 Scratch-proof sunglasses
A spin-off technology that emanates from astronaut visor protective coatings.
5 Water filters
Designed in the mid1960s to keep water on board spacecraft pollutant-free.
6 GPS myth buster
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MYSTERIES OF THE UNI WHERE ARE ALL THE SPIRAL GALAXIES?
There are far fewer spiral galaxies than elliptical ones in the Supergalactic Plane, and scientists are keen to discover why
ZOMBIE STARS
+10 OTHER TERRIFYING SPACE OBJECTS
HOW TO BEAT LIGHT POLLUTION
Thought it was impossible to observe the wonders of the night sky from towns and cities? Think again. Follow our tips and tricks on successfully observing through sky glow
15 STUNNING STAR CLUSTERS
These beautiful stellar groupings are spattered across the cosmos
Eileen Collins "It was a difficult mission...we were the first to see Mir"
Having served as both the first female pilot and first female commander of NASA's Space Shuttle, Collins boosted the involvement of women in space exploration to a whole new level
MARS LEAKS FASTER WHEN IT'S CLOSER TO THE SUN
The Red Planet has lost enough water to space to form a global ocean hundreds of kilometres deep
FUTURE TECH KANKOH-MARU
This ambitious reusable spacecraft will be capable of taking 50 people to and from orbit
THE FINAL FRONTIER
Beyond the reach of the Sun is a fascinating region of the cosmos that were only just beginning to explore
A long-lost moon could explain Mars' weird shape and extreme terrain
A long-lost moon could explain why Mars is so different from the other rocky planets in the Solar System. Today Mars has two tiny moons.
A sprinkling of cosmic dust may have helped kick-start life on Earth
Cosmic dust may have helped kick-start life on Earth. New findings challenge a widely held assumption that this wasn't a plausible explanation.