Beyond Tang: The Hidden Benefits of the Space Program Dr. Nadine G. Barlow Dept. Physics and Astronomy Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ

Space Program Benefits US Space Program has been around since 1958 Technology developed for space program has often subsequently provided practical benefits to society.

NASA Spinoffs

Health and Medical Spinoffs

ICU Monitoring Systems Developed from systems used to monitor astronauts during the space missions.

Image Processing Image Processing technology now used in CAT scans and MRI evolved from techniques originally developed for analyzing lunar and planetary images.

Breast Cancer Detection BioScan System detects new cancer lesions by looking for heat caused by increased blood flow. Infrared imaging technology originally developed for planetary and terrestrial observations.

Other Medical Spinoffs Molecular Modeling CCD Imaging Robotic Surgery Telemedicine

Transportation and Public Safety Spinoffs

Highway Monitoring Monitoring of traffic at multiple intersections and highways was developed from NASA Mission Control technology.

Grooved Highways and Runways NASA research showed that cutting thin grooves across concrete runways reduces the risk of hydroplaning. These grooves improve aircraft tire friction performance in wet conditions by 200-300%.

Global Positioning Satellite Technology Global satellites now provide very precise positional information. GPS units have dramatically improved search and rescue operations. Wide Area Augmentation System provides detailed information on aircraft locations.

Other Transportation Spinoffs Composite Materials Automatic Navigation Systems Fuel Cell Technology

Consumer Spinoffs

Communications Communication satellites have revolutionized long-distance telephone communications. Much of the cell phone technology has been derived from space program spinoffs.

Scratch-Resistant Lenses Coatings developed by NASA for spacecraft have been adapted to produce lenses which are 10x more scatch-resistant than ordinary glass lenses.

Product Coding NASA developed computer-read bar coding to keep track of shuttle parts. Now used to “scan” products at check-out counters.

Other Consumer Spinoffs Camera Chips Chair Lifts  Fiber Optics

Environmental and Resource Management

Weather Satellites Weather satellites have dramatically improved weather forecasts and severe weather predictions.

Volcano and Wildfire Monitoring

Resource Monitoring Remote sensing technology developed for analysis of planetary images has improved agricultural production. Similar technology can be used for natural resource management and disaster analysis.

Other Environmental Spinoffs Digital Maps Ocean Studies Ozone Hole and Climate Studies

Computer Technology

Miniaturization Much of the technology which has led to smaller computers was derived from NASA’s need to reduce weight on space missions.

Data Analysis Tools The need to sort through huge amounts of data from space missions has led to data analysis tools useful in many everyday applications.

Automatic Detection Techniques Technology to develop rovers with autonomous hazard detection capability is being used in robots to explore hazardous environments on Earth.

Scientific Knowledge

Greenhouse Effect The extreme greenhouse effect identified on Venus in the 1960’s led to more research into global warming on Earth.

Climate Change Mars is now believed to have once been much more Earth-like, with lakes and possibly oceans of liquid water. What happened to Mars to make it the cold, dry world we see today? Could something similar happen to Earth?

Sun-Earth Connections SOHO and other Sun-observing spacecraft help us determine when flares and coronal mass ejections might affect Earth and our orbiting spacecraft.

Search for Life Consideration of possible habitats conducive to life elsewhere in the solar system and universe has led to discovery of life in extreme terrestrial environments.

Education Kids love space! Space-themed activities help to inspire many students to study math and science.

For More On NASA Spinoffs Go to Spinoffs page: http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/