Beyond Tang: The Hidden Benefits of the Space Program

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Beyond Tang The Hidden Benefits of the Space
Program

• Dr. Nadine G. Barlow
• Dept. Physics and Astronomy
• Northern Arizona University
• Flagstaff, AZ

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Space Program Benefits

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

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NASA Spinoffs
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Health and Medical Spinoffs
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ICU Monitoring Systems

• Developed from systems used to monitor astronauts
  during the space missions.

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Image Processing

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

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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.

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Other Medical Spinoffs
Molecular Modeling
CCD Imaging
Robotic Surgery
Telemedicine
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Transportation and Public Safety Spinoffs
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Highway Monitoring

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

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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.

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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.

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Other Transportation Spinoffs
Composite Materials
Automatic Navigation Systems
Fuel Cell Technology
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Consumer Spinoffs
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Communications

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

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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.

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Product Coding

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

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Other Consumer Spinoffs
Camera Chips
Chair Lifts
?
Fiber Optics
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Environmental and Resource Management
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Weather Satellites

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

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Volcano and Wildfire Monitoring
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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.

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Other Environmental Spinoffs
Digital Maps
Ocean Studies
Ozone Hole and Climate Studies
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Computer Technology
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Miniaturization

• Much of the technology which has led to smaller
  computers was derived from NASAs need to reduce
  weight on space missions.

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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.

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Automatic Detection Techniques

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

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Scientific Knowledge
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Greenhouse Effect

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

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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?

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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.

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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.

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Education

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

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For More On NASA Spinoffs

• Go to Spinoffs page
• http//www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/