Everyday Things You Didn't Know Were Invented By NASA

PublishedNovember 26, 2014

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When you think of the US space program, spaceships and satellites may be the first thing that comes to mind, but there are plenty of mundane items that we take for granted that we have thanks to NASA and its contractors. Here are just a few examples of how NASA has improved life on Earth.

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Cordless, battery-powered tools, invented by Black & Decker and NASA in the early 1960s. These researchers were crucial to building the lightweight drill that Apollo astronauts used on Moon.

(via UCLA)

Space blanket (or thermal blanket), often included in first aid kits, was developed by NASA in 1964 for the US space program.

(via Airman Magazine)

The coating of scratch-resistant lenses in your eyeglasses and sunglasses, originally protected some space equipment and helmet visors.

(via Mr. TinDC)

The improved radial tires on your car – the technology was first used in parachute shrouds helped to land the Viking Lander spacecraft on Mars in 1976.

(via Gust)

Your beloved memory foam mattresses in your bed frame or sofa, first used to improve crash protection for aircrafts

(via Get Holistic Health)

Adjustable smoke detectors, developed with Honeywell Corporation for Skylab missions started in 1973. It could make a distinction between harmful gases and smoke of fire.

(via Pascal)

Modern athletic shoes with improved shock absorption, stability and motion control has the technology of boots used on Moon during Apollo missions.

(via Melinda Huntley)

Long-distance phone calls, only possible since NASA built and sent satellites to the orbit

(via Goddard Space Flight Center)

Tower plants that use concentrated solar power to produce energy.

(via Wikimedia Commons)

Artificial muscle systems with robotic sensing and actuation capabilities, used by robots in space, but some innovations were adapted to create better artificial limbs since the early 2000s.

(via Discovery News)