NASA Facts National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center FS-2004-07-002-JSC July 2004 Benefits from Apollo: Giant Leaps in Technology The Moon, a luminous object in the night sky that once inspired limitless speculation, afforded the inspiration for scientific discoveries in space and on Earth – thanks to the Apollo Program. The world was captivated on July 20,1969, when hundreds of millions watched through the lens of a compact camera built specifically for space as man planted his first step onto the lunar surface. Astronauts recorded details of the momentous occasion with special pens that allowed ink to flow freely in low gravity. Other technologies like breathing apparatuses, fabric structures, communications and protective coatings that made man’s step on the Moon To the Moon, through the roof possible soon led to giant leaps in technology on Earth. Houston’s Reliant Stadium features the first retractable roof NASA’s Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization of its kind, made possible by NASA technology. NASA’s licenses space-age technologies and connects with the private spacesuit fabric has fostered many new innovations, including sector through business-to-business partnerships for the a permanent structure fabric developed for the Apollo Program creation of products that improve lives here on Earth. Below and produced by New York-based Birdair, Inc. Pound for are a few of the many viable commercial products America pound, the material is stronger than steel and weighs less than enjoys today with roots that reach as far as the Moon. five ounces per square foot. Its translucency value, which ranges from four to 18 percent, reduces lighting needs and helps maintain the natural grass playing field. Its reflectivity Playing with the Pros lowers cooling costs, and the Teflon coating reduces maintenance costs by increasing the fabric’s resistance to Sports and recreation manufacturers looked to NASA upon moisture, temperature extremes and deterioration. These landing on the Moon in pursuit of improving their game. factors combine to lower initial costs and speed construction. Walk, jog or run like an astronaut There are two applications for Birdair’s fabric; tension “Moon Boot” material has revolu- structures that are supported by a network of cables and tionized athletic footwear, improving pylons (used in the Reliant Stadium), or temporary air- shock absorption and providing supported structures that consist of an outer membrane and superior stability and motion an inner liner. On average, the use of fabric covering, which control. Al Gross, a NASA Apollo can last up to 20 years, can help reduce building costs by as Program engineer, used his space much as 30 percent. Spinoff 1978 and 1990 expertise to improve athletic shoes. He substituted DuPont’s Hytrel Rearranging furniture in a stadium plastic for foam materials in the Together, NASA and General Motors developed a way to shoe’s mid-sole to eliminate cushioning loss caused by body move heavy loads more easily by lifting them onto a thin air weight. An external pressurized shell and stress-free “blow cushion. Rolair Systems, Inc. was formed by former General molding” process adapted from NASA spacesuit technology Motors’ engineers and has found commercial uses for the was also used. The resulting compression chamber mid-sole innovation. Hawaii’s Aloha Stadium uses this technology to allowed the popular shoemaker, AVIA Inc., to reconfigure re-arrange the stadium seating by moving an entire 7,000-seat designs for specific sports and provide a “first step” toward a section on a cushion of air. A single operator can reposition durable, foamless, non-fatiguing mid-sole. Spinoff 1991 this huge section in just half an hour. Spinoff 1978 Safeguarding You and Space Station. The solar array surface area currently on orbit is 9,600 square feet, nearly half (40%) the size of a football the Environment field (24,480 square feet). The skyscraper-sized solar arrays Technologies guarding astronauts on the Moon now protect harness energy from the sun to power the Space Station. you and the environment on Earth. Spinoff 1981 Astronaut flight suits Chlorine-free pools fighting fires on Earth NASA’s silver ion technology has been used to create an Fire hazards are much automatic pool purifier. Caribbean Clear Inc. system offers greater in atmospheres an alternative to chemicals, such as chlorine and bromine. containing a high percentage Purifiers use silver of oxygen under pressure. ions, as used in After the 1967 Apollo fire, Apollo Purification NASA needed to find new Systems, to kill ways to protect astronauts bacteria, copper ions and their vessels. The and algae. They Monsanto Company produce spa or pool developed a chemically water that exceeds treated fabric called EPA Standards Durette that does not burn. for drinking water. Spinoff 1994 A National Bureau of Standards/NASA project Apollo innovation shakes up seismology resulted in a lightweight breathing system including Through a contract with NASA, Wyle-3S built an facemask, frame, harness and air bottle marketed by Scott enormously forceful shock and vibration system to simulate Aviation. Aluminum composite material was used to reduce liftoff stresses on the launch pad. In addition to earthquake the weight of the overall apparatus, and the frame and testing, the company has adapted its shaking technology to harness were designed to be much easier to put on and take evaluate railway cars, rail- or road-transported cargo, truck off. Today nearly every major manufacturer of breathing refrigeration units and highway pavements without apparatus incorporates NASA technology in some form, destroying or harming its surroundings. Spinoff 1979 helping to reduce the incidence of inhalation-related injuries. Spinoff 1982 Medical Marvels from the Moon Safety in security systems Apollo-based technologies launched major medical Technology developed by NASA led to an intruder detector breakthroughs on Earth. that helps prevent burglaries. Before prowlers can break in, vibration-sensing detectors pick up movements of anyone Shocking heart within range and relay warnings to portable radio receivers monitors that alert guards or residents. Encased in a stainless steel NASA’s Apollo tube, the detectors are implanted in the ground outside the technology was used facility being protected - home, bank, industrial complex or by Medrad to develop other facility. Spinoff 1978 the AID implantable automatic pulse Solar Panels: more generator, which power, less pollution monitors the heart Innovations developed continuously, with technology from recognizes the onset NASA’s Apollo lunar of a heart attack and module program has delivers a corrective created a renewable electrical shock. The energy resource used on pulse generator is, in effect, a miniaturized version of Earth and in space. Solar the defibrillator used by emergency squads and hospitals panels collect electricity to restore rhythmic heartbeat after fibrillation. Once by absorbing light when it implanted, it needs no specially trained personnel or strikes the surface and additional equipment and consists of a microcomputer, transfers it to a semiconductor. These solar panels are used a power source and two electrodes that sense heart on calculators, street lights, houses and on the International activity. Spinoff 1980 Apollo sets the pace At Home with Apollo St. Jude Medical’s Cardiac Many everyday home and consumer products today trace Rhythm Management their roots to technologies born during Apollo missions. Division used Apollo technology to develop a No cords attached programmable pacemaker Utilizing NASA’s system. A physician can cordless innovations, communicate with a Black & Decker created patient’s pacemaker by cordless, lightweight means of wireless telemetry signals transmitted through the battery-powered precision communicating head held over the patient’s chest. Where instruments designed to earlier pacemakers delivered a fixed type of stimulus once give surgeons optimum implanted, this system enables “fine tuning” of the device to freedom and versatility in best suit the patient’s changing needs. Spinoff 1980 the operating room. It also led to today’s electric Easier treatments for dialysis patients screwdrivers, drills and other portable and chargeable Technology originally developed under NASA contract by devices. Cordless power tools are also used to help build the Marquardt Corporation, a chemical process was developed to International Space Station on orbit. Spinoff 1981 remove toxic waste from used dialysis fluid. This discovery led to the development of a kidney dialysis machine using Clocks with rocks “sorbent” dialysis, a method of removing urea from human To keep missions on time, General blood by treating a dialysate solution. The process saves Time Corp. developed electrically electricity and gives the patient greater freedom of stimulated quartz crystals. Quartz movement during treatment. Spinoff 1992 provides a stable time base, giving clocks an accuracy of one Cool ideas from Apollo minute a year. By vibrating up to NASA’s Cool Suit technology — originally designed to 4,194,304 times a second, these keep astronauts cool during launch using a water circulation clocks keep millions of people on system — is now used by hazardous materials workers, time around the globe. Spinoff 1976 armored vehicle crews, firefighters and NASCAR drivers. Multiple sclerosis patients and children born without sweat Busting the dust glands and a disorder that causes extreme sun sensitivity Apollo astronauts needed a portable self-contained drill wear built-in water circulation vests that provide them cool capable of extracting core samples from 10 feet below the comfort. A surgical personal cooling system has also been lunar surface. Black & Decker used a specially developed developed for medical personnel working in hot operating computer program to optimize the drill’s motor and room environments. And, horse saddle pads made with this minimize power consumption. Refinement of the technology technology can lower the horse’s temperature by 4 to 6 eventually led to the cordless vacuum cleaner called the degrees.