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

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

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

3. NASA Spinoffs

4. Health and Medical
Spinoffs

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

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

7. 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.

8. Other Medical Spinoffs
Molecular
Modeling
CCD Imaging
Robotic
Surgery
Telemedicine

9. Transportation and
Public Safety Spinoffs

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

11. 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%.

12. 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.

13. Other Transportation Spinoffs
Composite Materials
Automatic Navigation Systems
Fuel Cell Technology

14. Consumer Spinoffs

15. Communications


Communication satellites
have revolutionized longdistance telephone
communications.
Much of the cell phone
technology has been
derived from space
program spinoffs.

16. 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.

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

18. Other Consumer Spinoffs
Camera Chips
Chair Lifts

Fiber
Optics

19. Environmental and
Resource Management

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

21. Volcano and Wildfire Monitoring

22. 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.

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

24. Computer Technology

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

26. 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.

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

28. Scientific Knowledge

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

30. 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?

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

32. 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.

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

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