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Beyond Tang: The Hidden Benefits of the Space Program

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Title: Beyond Tang: The Hidden Benefits of the Space Program


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
    long-distance 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 NASAs 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 1960s 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 Sun-observing 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/
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