Space Spin-Offs Alter Life on Earth

Dec. 10, 2006 — -- Cars can't fly and Scotty won't be beaming anyone up soon, but from food to footwear, space exploration has generated many earthly benefits.

Since the 1950s, space technology has been applied to more than 30,000 commercial products. Sunglasses, quartz watches, and cordless tools are all products with roots in outer space.

Add to that list global communications systems, personal computers and satellite technology, and it's fair to say that most Americans don't make it through a day without using a space spin-off.

NASA works with small business to apply its technologies to space and to license NASA's technologies for private applications.

According to a NASA fact sheet, "Partnerships and licenses of NASA-developed technologies help increase the number of scientific discoveries and their benefit to the general public, while decreasing the cost of the space program for taxpayers."

Dan Barry sees the world through a spaceman's eyes. He is a retired astronaut with more than 700 hours in space and four space walks, but today he keeps his feet on the ground, running a robotics company. To him, just getting up and going to work is an adventure in space technology.

Waking up and listening to the weather report on the radio depends upon weather satellites, communications satellite technology and integrated circuitry in the radio, all byproducts of space exploration, Barry explained.

"You go downstairs and the coffee is already made in the pot," he said. "That goes down to early automation work NASA did."

Even food safety can trace its roots to space. The FDA regulations in place today stem from the first quality assurance food regulations regarding safety and minimum cooking temperatures developed for the astronauts.

And the drive to work -- involving cell phones, GPS systems and even the structure of the car -- is a tribute to research initiated by NASA.

"In the first half hour of your day, every day, you use all kinds of NASA technology without even thinking about it," Barry said.