NASA is often criticized for wasting taxpayer dollars. The $2.5-billion rover that recently landed on Mars has brought this issue to center focus once again.
But the Space Program's research and advancements extend well beyond spaceflight into everyday life. Since the agency's creation in 1958, technologies originally developed for space missions have been adapted for commercial products and services on Earth.
To prove this point, every year since the mid-1970s, NASA has published a list of space technologies that have been integrated into everyday items. The tangible benefits span from life-saving medical devices to protective eyewear. To date, NASA has documented nearly 1,800 "spinoff" technologies. Here's a short list.
- Artificial limbs
- Baby formula
- Cell-phone cameras
- Computer mouse
- Cordless tools
- Ear thermometer
- Firefighter gear
- Freeze-dried food
- Golf clubs
- Long-distance communication
- Invisible braces
- MRI and CAT scans
- Memory foam
- Safer highways
- Solar panels
- Shoe insoles
- Ski boots
- Adjustable smoke detector
- Water filters
- UV-blocking sunglasses
- Tang
- Velcro
- Teflon