Apollo-Era Life Raft Saves
Hundreds of Lives
Sensors Provide Early Warning
of Biological Threats
During the Apollo Program, engineers at
NASA designed and patented a hydrodynamically stabilized ballast system that
would prevent a life raft from tipping in
choppy seas and fierce winds. It has been
commercialized and since been credited
with saving over 400 lives.
Powerful NASA biosensor technology has
been incorporated into a water analyzer
that can alert organizations to potential
biological hazards in water used for agriculture, food and beverages, showers, and
at beaches and lakes—within hours instead of the days required by conventional
laboratory methods.
Robots Save Soldiers’
Lives Overseas
NASA efforts to help humans and
robots to work together in remote environments led to the development of an
improved reconnaissance robot deployed
to war zones. Boasting a bevy of advanced capabilities, the newly-designed,
remotely operated reconnaissance robot
identifies improvised explosive devices
(IEDs), allowing troops to maintain a safe
distance.
Polymer Fabric Protects
Firefighters, Military, and
Civilians
NASA helped develop a line of polymer
textiles for use in space suits and vehicles.
Dubbed PBI, the heat and flame resistant
fiber is now used in numerous firefighting, military, motor sports, and other
applications.
Filtration System Provides
Clean Drinking Water
A filtration system providing safe, affordable drinking water is the result of work
done to create a simple wastewater remediation unit for the International Space
Station. The commercial version of the
technology yields clean water from the
most challenging water sources, such as in
underdeveloped regions where water may
be heavily contaminated.
Anthrax Detector Protects
Air Supplies
Designed originally as a bacterial spore
detection system for Mars-bound spacecraft, the technology in the Anthrax
Smoke Detector tests airborne particles
for weaponized anthrax. The device is
being used at airports, office buildings,
and post offices worldwide.
Space Suit Technologies
Protect Deep-Sea Divers
A company has incorporated NASA space
suit innovations into deep-sea diving gear
designed to protect divers who are called
on to work in extreme and dangerous
conditions caused by high pressure,
chemical and biological warfare agents,
and the toxic environments of shipwrecks
and chemical spills.
Infrared Imaging Sharpens
View in Critical Situations
NASA research into thermal imaging to
help detect microgravity fires in space led
to all-weather infrared imaging systems
now being used in the United States and
abroad to locate personnel stranded in
emergency situations and to protect highvalue facilities and operations—including
soldiers in the battlefield.
Fire-Resistant Reinforcement
Makes Steel Structures
Sturdier
Fire-resistant material developed for the
Apollo crew capsule heat shield now
coats steel beams in high-rise buildings.
The material—easy to apply, with no
impact on architectural design—helps
prevent infrastructures from collapsing
prematurely in a fire, giving occupants
more time to evacuate safely.
Rocket-fuel Device Neutralizes
Land Mines
Surplus rocket fuel is used in a flare
that can safely destroy land mines. The
demining device is placed next to a land
mine and ignited by a battery-triggered
electric match. The flare burns a hole in
the mine’s case and ignites the explosive
contents. Once the explosive material
is burned away, the mine is no longer
dangerous.
spinoff.nasa.gov
For more information about NASA spinoffs, please visit spinoff.nasa.gov.
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