Found in space

What do designer jewelry, the Statue of Liberty, and a good night's sleep have in common? All, according to science writer David Baker's fascinating new book Inventions from Outer Space: Everyday Uses for NASA Technology (Scientific American, $25), derive directly from the federal government's 42-year-old investment in the exploration of outer space.

Jewelry designer Alan Kasson uses heat-resistant materials created for the Space Shuttle to solder precious metals and stones into fashionable rings and pendants. The New York City harbor's icon of the free world has been painted with a ceramic coating first invented to protect Cape Canaveral's launch pad from intense heat. And mattresses proven to relieve back pain routinely make use of materials that were first engineered to relieve the painful effects of G-forces on astronauts.

These are just a few examples of space technology that have made their way into the lives of ordinary Americans. Since 1958, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration has successfully landed men on the moon and explored eight of the nine planets in the solar system, and in the process its aggressive 'technology transfer' program has produced ideas and products that have benefited Americans in areas ranging from health and safety to energy, environment, computers, art, and manufacturing.

Many of these spinoffs-from heart imaging technology to sewage treatment to sunglasses- are described and beautifully illustrated in this handsome new volume. Even the controversial full-body swimming suits, recently banned from the U.S. Olympic trials because of their shark-like swimming efficiency, are the product of NASA engineers, who in the 1970s were directed to reduce destructive wing friction on the nation's space vehicles.

Copyright American Society for Engineering Education Sep 2000
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