Space Food

Everyone including astronauts enjoy ice cream and pizza. When the first astronauts went into space their food was stored in a tube that resembled a toothpaste container. This type of food was not very tasty. In planning for the long duration Apollo missions, NASA conducted extensive research into space food. One of the techniques developed was freeze drying. In this process, the foods are cooked, quickly frozen and then slowly heated in a vacuum chamber to remove the ice crystals formed by the freezing process. The final product retains 98 percent of its nutrition and weighs only 20 percent of its original weight. Perfect for a space dinner.

Golf Balls

It is every golfer's dream to hit the ball close to the pin, whether for a hole-in-one or a birdie. Space Shuttle external tank technology was implemented into Wilson Sporting Goods Company Ultra 500 golf ball to create "the most symmetrical ball surface available." The selection of dimples and their placement on the ball helps the ball travel longer distances.

Cordless Products

Whether you are cleaning up spilled soil from a houseplant or tightening the screws in the door jam, a cordless product comes in handy. These products were handy for astronauts on the Apollo missions as well. During the Apollo Program, NASA needed a powerful, portable drill to allow the astronauts to go further away from the Lunar Experiment Module (the moon buggy) to gather samples from beneath the moon's surface. In response, Black & Decker designed a motor that would operate more efficiently and use less power. Since those first days of cordless products, Black & Decker has manufactured such products as the Dustbuster and the cordless screwdriver. These products are not only used around the home, but in the operating room as well.

Nerf Glider

Toy designers at Hasbro wanted to create a foam glider that a child could fly with little knowledge of aeronautics. But early in its' development it was discovered that the gliders didn't fly so well. The toy designers contacted NASA for help in developing their wonderful toy. The engineers provided information about how wing design and shape are integral to a glider's performance. The toy designers also received hands-on training on the physics of designing and flying gliders.

School Bus

The ride to school and back home has been made smoother and safer with NASA technology. A school bus frame originally was an ordinary truck frame. However, concerns for student's safety prompted some manufacturers to develop a frame specifically for school transport. A company used NASA technology, developed for aviation and space use, to design a stronger and safer bus frame. They also used NASA testing to predict how the frame would hold up under stress.

Computer Joysticks

Computer games can now be played with all the precision and sensitivity needed for a safe and soft Space Shuttle touchdown. A game-controlling joystick for personal computer-based entertainment systems was modeled after controls used in shuttle stimulators. Astronauts used the joystick to practice runway landings and orbit maneuvering.

Helmet Padding

It's late in the fourth quarter. The home team trail by four points. The star halfback get s a handoff and heads straight up the middle. WHAM! He's met by the middle linebacker in a ground-shaking head-on collision! OUCH! Is the halfback hurt? Will he get up to carry on the fight for his team?

The bodies unpile. Yes, there he is! He hops up and trots back to the huddle. On the next play he throws a halfback pass to the tight end-Touchdown! T

he crowd goes wild. Everybody's so excited they do not think about how helmet padding made from aircraft passenger seats-developed by NASA's Ames Research Center cushioned the halfback's head.

Later in the week in the same stadium, baseball and soccer teams will use the same NASA technology as chest protectors and shin guards.

Smoke Detector

The smoke detectors now required by law to be placed in all homes evolved from technology originally developed for NASA's first space station, Skylab. The smoke detector has been credited to saving lives all over the world.

Ski Boot

When astronauts perform activities outside of the Space Shuttle they must be able to maneuver side to side and front to back without moving the placement of their feet. The Flexon concept, developed by Comfort Products Ltd., is an adaptation of the accordion-like appearance of an extravehicular space suit joint that allows astronauts to move around more easily. This concept was used to develop a ski boot that allows easy movement and a better fit.

Bike Helmet

Who would have ever thought that technology used to reduce drag on the wings of fighter aircraft during World War II would be reapplied decades later to improve the safety of bicycle riders? The old bike helmets were not only unattractive, but heavy and caused riders to feel warm once they began to generate body heat. The inventor of the Giro bike helmet called NASA for assistance. Using technology developed for fighter aircraft during the 1940s, Giro developed an aerodynamic, lightweight helmet designed to improve riders' safety while allowing them to go faster. The helmet features air vents in the front and back to pull cool air into the headgear and channel it around the biker's head. The 1989 Tour de France winner, Greg Lemond, wore a Giro helmet during his prestigious ride.

Quartz Clocks

Take a look at your wristwatch. Did you know that NASA technology was used to develop it? These timing devices, containing quartz timing crystals, were developed for NASA as a highly accurate, lightweight, and durable timing device for the lunar-bound Apollo spacecraft. General Time Corp., under contract to NASA, developed the quartz crystal for obtaining a stable time base from which all mission times could be derived.

Ribbed Swimsuit

Did you know that swimmers can wear a swimsuit that actually makes them faster swimmers? In the 1980s, Langley Research Center invented "riblets", small, barely visible groves that can be placed on the surface of airplanes. When these "riblets" are implemented into a swimsuit they reduce skin friction, making a swimmer glide through the water more easily. The ribbed swimsuit has been tested to be 10-15 percent faster than any other world class swimsuit. In the 1995 Pan American Games, swimmers wearing the ribbed swimsuits won 13 gold medals, 3 silver and 1 bronze.

Football Stadiums