Beyond
Tang: The Hidden Benefits
of
the Space Program
Most people are familiar with
the advertisement touting Tang as the orange drink that the astronauts took to
the Moon. However, many other products have resulted from the space
program, as well as discoveries with applications to everyday life. NASA
highlights these products and information in an annual publication entitled
"Spinoffs". Bar coding, medical imaging, suits worn by
fire-fighters, smoke detectors, and thermal gloves and boots are all examples
of products resulting from technologies developed in support of the space
program. Detection of the 750K surface temperature of Venus in the 1960's
led to the realization that the greenhouse effect (or "global
warming") is a real physical manifestation and resulted in concerns about
our own terrestrial environment. Debate about the possibility of
underground life on Mars spurred investigations which found organisms living
inside rocks on the Earth. These spinoffs and more will be discussed.