What Do Invisible Braces, Cordless Tools, Water Filters, and Memory Foam Have in Common?

The answer to that question: They are all a direct result of NASA.

Invisible Braces:

I’ve had braces and believe me, it is not fun. Many people dread braces because they do not want to have their mouths be full of metal for 1.5-2 years. For some teens the solution to that problem is convincing their parents to let them get invisible braces. If it were not for NASA, they would not be able to do that. The material used to make invisible braces is called translucent polycrystalline alumina (TPA) and was designed by NASA Advanced Ceramics Research. TPA was originally designed for protection of the infrared antennae of heat-seeking missile trackers and now it is in your mouth.

Cordless Tools:

Have you ever used a drill to hang something up? Chances are that the drill probably was cordless. You can thank NASA for that. Cordless tools were first designed in preparation for the Apollo missions. 

Cordless Drill
Courtesy of amazon.com

The idea was that people on the moon could drill for samples but no have to go through the hassle of plugging in a cord while on the moon. The drill had to be powerful yet lightweight. Black & Decker worked with NASA to design such a tool and now you can find cordless tools all over.

Water Filters:

Do you drink water? I hope so because if the answer is no then you are dead or soon will be. Now you can drink water and that’s fine and dandy but for it to be really helpful the water has to be clean. The most common way to make sure that your water is clean is to filter it. 

Charcoal Filter
Photo Courtesy of www.bedbathandbeyond.com

The design for the filter came from, you guessed it, NASA! When the preparation for the Apollo missions was occurring NASA needed to design a way to make sure that the water astronauts in space were drinking was safe. They did so by designing the charcoal filter. If you go look at the filter for your water, it is most likely that same kind. Thank you NASA!

Memory Foam:

It’s nighttime, you crawl into your nice memory foam bed. Oh, it’s comfy! Who can you thank for it? NASA, of course. The polyurethane-silicon plastic used to make memory foam beds was originally designed to lessen impact during landings of spacecraft. The ability of the foam to distribute weight and pressure provides large amounts of shock absorbency.

These are just a few of many devices and innovations that NASA has contributed to our everyday lives. So if you ever think that science is not in your everyday life, think again. Science, particularly that of NASA, is everywhere!