Apollo's Contributions to America |
Every day, in a variety of ways, American lives are touched by space technology. Since 1976, over 1,500 documented NASA technologies have benefited U.S. industry, improved the quality of life, and created jobs. The Apollo program has helped change the way of life in America. Here are some of the contributions of the Apollo program: |
Cool suits,
which kept Apollo astronauts comfortable during moon walks, are today
worn by race car drivers, nuclear reactor technicians, shipyard workers,
people with multiple sclerosis and kids with a congenital disorder
known as hypohidrotic ectodermal displasia. |
Special kidney dialysis
machines were developed as a result of a NASA developed chemical process
that could remove toxic waste from used dialysis fluid. |
A cardiovascular conditioner
developed for astronauts in space led to the development of a physical
therapy and athletic development machine used by football teams, sports
clinics and medical rehabilitation centers. |
Cordless power tools and
appliances are one of the most successful commercial spinoffs of space-based
technology. |
Athletic shoe design and
manufacture also benefited from Apollo. Space suit technology is incorporated
into a shoe's external shell. A stress-free "blow molding" process
adapted from NASA space suit design is also used in the shoe's manufacture. |
Insulation barriers made
of aluminum foil laid over a core of propylene or mylar, which protected
astronauts and their spacecraft's delicate instruments from radiation,
is used to protect cars and trucks and dampen engine and exhaust noise. |
Vacuum metallizing techniques
led to an extensive line of commercial products, from insulated outer
garments to packaging for foods, from wall coverings to window shades,
from life rafts to candy wrappings and from reflective blankets to
photographic reflectors. |
Water purification technology
used on the Apollo spacecraft is now employed in several spinoff applications
to kill bacteria, viruses and algae in community water supply systems
and cooling towers. Filters mounted on faucets can reduce lead in water
supplies. |
Freeze-dried food solved
the problem of what to feed an astronaut on the long-duration Apollo
missions. |
A hospital food service
system employs a cook/chill concept for serving food. The system allows
staff to prepare food well in advance, maintain heat, visual appeal
and nutritional value while reducing operating costs. |
A hollow retroreflector,
a mirror-like instrument that reflects light and other radiation back
to the source, is used as a sensor to detect the presence of hazardous
gases in oil fields, refineries, offshore platforms, chemical plants,
waste storage sites and other locations where gases could be released
into the environment. |
A process for bonding dry
lubricant to space metals led to the development of surface enhancement
coatings, or synergistic coatings, which are used in applications from
pizza making to laser manufacture. Each coating is designed to protect
a specific metal group or group of metals to solve problems encountered
under operating conditions, such as resistance to corrosion and wear. |