Everyday things inspired by space exploration

Space exploration is expensive, and some question why countries spend trillions pursuing the outer world. The answer is simple: space science and technology have bettered human lives beyond imagination. On the World Space Week, here are five useful innovations whose roots trace back to space technology.

Digital cameras and camera phones: Point-and-shoot cameras, an invention of the 1980s, revolutionised photography in that they did away with expensive films. Charge-coupled devices (CCDs), a technology used in space and land-based telescopes to capture light from distant objects and digitise them into pixels, were instrumental in heralding the era of digital photography. A step further in this direction came with the invention of CMOS semiconductor chips, which could capture digital images with way less energy, enabling having cameras on hand-held devices, like cell phones, using which we capture our lives’ moments.

Scratch-resistant lens: The convenience of today's spectacles is unbeatable. Fitted into fancy frames, they are lightweight, won’t shatter and can even filter harmful blue light from computer and laptop screens, helping us see better. All this is possible, thanks to plastic lenses that have replaced bulky, fragile glass lenses. But, when they first came into the market, plastic lenses were prone to scratches, defeating the purpose of providing clear vision with eyeglasses. But, the invention of a thin, plastic film—first developed for visors for space helmets and coating for other aerospace equipment—helped overcome this drawback.

Freeze-dried food: Energy bars, pizzas, vegetables, baby foods and even pet food now fill up the freezer aisles of supermarkets, providing the convenience of freeze-dried food. The technology of freeze-drying food, however, dates back to the early days of space travel. Scientists were trying hard to figure out how to feed astronauts in space when they were to be launched. Dehydrated food, which was the common option then, tasted bad and needed hot water and a good 20-minute preparation time. Freeze-dried food, where the food is frozen and placed in a strong vacuum chamber to remove water content, keeps nutrients and taste intact, is long-lasting and light to pack, and can be turned into a meal within a few minutes.

Memory foams: Pillows, mattresses, seat cushions, couches, sports equipment and medical devices—all of these today come with memory foam to provide you with the comfort to sit or sleep like a baby. Polyurethane, the main polymer used in making such memory foams, has a unique cell-like structure that softens as a response to your body heat, allowing it to mould itself in a few minutes to your body position. But the inventors of this wonder material did think of mattresses; instead, they wanted to make aircraft pilot seats more comfortable and safe to sit during long flights. Subsequently, they were used in space shuttles too before they became mainstream in the commercial market.

Athletic shoes: Nike Air, the first-of-its-kind shock-absorbing athletic shoes, were a giant leap in the shoe industry from the first steps on the moon. When NASA designed space suits and helmets for Apollo 11’s astronauts, they used a special shock-absorbing filling to help them walk in the hostile space environment. Subsequently, Nike used a pad of interconnected air cells under the heel of its athletic shoes, similar to the shock-absorbing material used in the space helmets, and a new generation of athletic shoes, designed to minimise injuries and aimed for comfort, was born.