Made in NASA?

 

Last weekend my family and I ran in the Houston ½ Marathon and 5k.  It was a perfect weekend for a great race and Houston has a great Expo where you can find a bunch of neat gadgets.  My daughter, who loves jewelry of any kind, was fascinated by this one booth that was selling a bracelet that was suppose to help increase your balance, strength and agility.  I was for the most part ignoring the sales pitch until they said that the secret to their bracelet was the holographic technology developed by NASA and my daughter shot me a questioning, but knowing glance, “Really?”  Then she saw the look in my eyes that told her, “Of course not.”  But it got me thinking about how much is associated with NASA and how much is not known about the true technology that comes from NASA.

 

We are lucky enough to have within our Advanced Planning Office the responsibility for transferring technology from the Johnson Space Center to the external community.  So I get to see examples of the real technology that benefits the public as a direct result from our efforts to explore space.  Oh, and for the record Tang, Velcro and Teflon did not come from NASA. Each year NASA’s Innovative Partnership program publishes the Spinoff magazine which captures those innovations that have found their way into the public domain.  One of my favorites is the Shuttle Fuel Pump Technology that Helps Children’s Hearts.  “Not much larger than a penlight battery, the pump is the result of two decades of NASA collaboration with famed heart surgeon Dr. Michael DeBakey.”  I for one would rather be associated with technology that is saving children than Velcro.

 

Of course being a strategist I am looking forward to the future innovations that result from NASA reaching beyond Low Earth Orbit.  Also the medical advances that will come from the International Space Station like the new methods for delivering medicine to cancer cells.  Or personally, to help with my commute to work, I’m looking forward to the Jetson’s flying car.

 

So take a look at the history of NASA’s spinoff’s and let me know which is your favorite or let me know what spinoff you would like to see in the future.

  

Sharing the Vision,

Steven González, Deputy, Advanced Planning Office

32 thoughts on “Made in NASA?”

  2. Well done on the 1/2 marathon! Isn't running just the best? I can't believe it is so long since I did the City 2 Surf in Australia (see on my )…and even longer since I did the London Marathon!

    It is high time I did another big run – thanks for the inspiration!

  4. Thanks nice post.
    Congratulations for this interesting featured picture! A whole new world…!

  8. Well, NASA has done a lot. I hope it will continue to create more helful gadgets and technological tools.

  9. I heard that the man who bought the Remmington Shaver Company turned down the rights to Velcro because he couldn’t think of a use for it.
    He worked for Playtex at the time so if he had taken up the rights perhaps all bras would now be fastened with Velco.

    John
    http://www.dogbedsforsale.net

  11. What a great post, I thoroughly enjoyed, it is good to see that Nasa is contributing to the world in a positive way.

  12. It's absolutely awesome the spinoff from NASA that trickles down to making our every day lives better.

    As a race car driver I relay on heat insulation products that were originally products of “rocket science” research.

    Darren Turner

  13. I love visiting this site and viewing all of the marvelous pictures.
    Michael Mesa Miami

  14. Science is great NASA is leading the way to help humanity. Will look at the spinoff's. thanks for your work and have fun w/ the family.

  16. Personally I think everyone needs to keep updated on what nasa is upto, and the history has they have discovered so much.

    I hope that I am alive to see the flying car or something similar, a flying motorbike would be even more amazing.
    Cant wait to see what the future of nasa brings. Hats off to the whole team and their great work over the years.

    Play at ug2.com

  17. NASA is the one, who can help people to run out of the world.

    [url=http://watchtheoffice.biz]watch the office free[/URL]

  18. Thanks Steven for the post. How much is not known about the true technology that comes from NASA? That is really a great question. So much technology comes from NASA. We sometimes take this for granted. We all need to Thank NASA for the great job they do for our country and world.

  19. Jetson car would be great and anything that helps us allieviate the pain or cure cancer has my vote.

  20. I would rather be associated with technology that’s saving children than Velcro too. I was never actually too fond of Velcro.

  24. Yep, the Jetson's flying car is looooong over due! It's 2010 for pete's sake! 🙂

    Oh yeah, the whole space tourism thing is definitely something I am looking forward to.

  25. Hey Mr. Gonzalez

    Thanks for the post. Could you explain a bit more on how the International Space Station will lead to the advancement of new methods for delivering the medicine to cancer cells? I'm sorry but I fail to see the connection between space and cancer cells.

    Thanks for taking the time to read this comment

    Yours,
    Ed
    Avid Space Fan
    Owner of
    .com

  29. I’m looking for the “balance bracelet”, do you know where I might be able to purchase one?

  30. If you do believe in the bible it does not talk about space travel,but when the end of the world is here god will take the belivers to his kingdom let him do the space travel. As far as learning about cancer and new materials under no gravity atmosphere we can already simulate space here on earth at nasa dont need a space station or all that money spent to do so up in the sky,we dont need another planet why not spend the money to take care of the one we have. Yes space is neat and beautiful but so are animals and rivers and unexsplaned things we got right here on earth. In 40 years since the moon thats still as far as we have traveled and still cant keep a space shuttle or space station together without problems,everything else can be simulated here on earth. We dont need to recycle urine gross or think we need to reach another planet were if out there probaly is aready taken by other life because earth was for us. Yes nasa has good causes but a space station and flight is a waste of brain power that should be used to save earth and whats living here.

  31. innovation, of course, need the creativity, technology that really has a vision for the future and benefit the world community

    e r d

  32. my teacher says that velcro was invented by nasa to clasp items together if nasa didn’t invent it who did?

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