1,650 reasons to continue NASA Space Program

The Space Shuttle Discovery is now at it's final resting place at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.  It's a sad end to one of the most successful programs in U.S. history.

Many people over the years have complained NASA is a waste of time and money.  Yet I would like to contend the opposite is true.  As a result of the NASA program, there have been over "1,650 documented NASA technologies that have benefited U.S. Industry," according to Daniel Lockey, "NASA's Space Shuttle:  Perspectives on Technology Transfer (1).

One hundred and twenty of the "NASA Spinoffs" have been a direct result of the Space Shuttle Program, which is now extinct.

Look around you wherever you go and you'll see something you can thank NASA for.  Innovations an research for NASA have benefited:

• Engineering
• Medicine
• Communications
• Transportation
• Environmental Remediation
• Public Safety
• Consumer goods

In honor of the NASA program, and in hopes our next president acknowledges the benefits of space research on society. Here is a partial list of NASA spinoffs that benefit us all:

1. Memory foam (which may be the beds of the future, sports helmets to absorb shock, motor cycle seats, etc.)
2. Scratch proof lenses for glasses and sunglasses
3. Smoke detectors
4. Carbon monoxide detectors
5. Molded soles for sneakers (from moon boots to improve shock absorption and stability)
6. Water filters
7. Paper thin radiant barrier blankets 
8. Home insulation
9. Freeze dried food
10. Air purification systems
11. Solar screens (for green technology)
12. Computerized solar water heaters
13. Emergency lighting systems
14. Prosthetic limbs
15. Kidney dialysis 
16. Physical therapy equipment
17. Robotic arms used for delicate surgery
18. MRIs
19. Ear thermometers
20. Invisible braces
21. Blood analysis
22. Heart pumps  (based on Shuttle fuel pump technology)
23. LED cancer therapy
24. Therapeutic drugs and antibiotics
25. GPS
26. Weather monitoring systems
27. Panoramic imaging systems to improve photography and video imaging
28. Low light technologies to improve photography and video imaging
29. Sensitive infared cameras used to detect forest fires
30. Cool suits to protect people from heat and treat some medical conditions 
31. Demolition explosives to take down unsafe buildings and bridges
32. Monitors to detect gases
33. Monitors to detect mechanical failures
34. Monitors to detect changes in air pressure
35. Robots that can be used to enter potentially unsafe environments and detect danger
36. Jaws of life
37. Superelastic golf club technology to allow golfers to hit the ball farther
38. Satellite television
39. Google Earth
40. Virtual Reality
41. CAT scans
42. Breast Cancer Screening
43. Ultrasound to detect skin damage (used in burn units)
44. Attention getters used to improve attention spans of  kids with ADHD was created by equipment used to monitor brain activity of astronauts
45. Safer roads created by technology needed to make runway safer for space shuttle (traffic accidents have been cut by 85% since new technology applied to U.S. roadways.
46. Improved radial tyres created by Good Year (made of material five times stronger than steel to help use in parachutes to land Viking explorers on Mars)
47. Landmine removal equipment
48. Ribbed swimsuits
49. Aerodynamic golfballs
50. Personal alarm systems used by the elderly to call for help
51. Space pens that do not depend on gravity
52. Cordless power tools
53. Insulation barriers to protect cars and trucks and dampen engine and exhaust noise
54. Biodegradable lubricant used for cars and sporting goods
55. Video stabilization software (used to clarify launch video now used to clean up crime scene video)
56. Improved ventilator technology
57. Technology to convert gas vehicles to hybrids
58. Advisory systems to same time and fuel for airlines
59. Computerized solar water heaters save energy
60. Cryogenic liquid methane tanks store aircraft fuel
61. Emergency and night lighting systems save energy
62. Wire and rod grounding systems prevent corrosion
63. Negative pressure techniques relieve respiratory distress in infants
64. Radioactive waste disposal
65. etc.  

If you can think of more please list them in the comments below.

References:

1. Lockney, Daniel, "NASA's Space Shuttle:  Perspectives on Technology Transfer" ( AIAA SPACE 2010 Conference & Exposition (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics)0 August - 2 September 2010, Anaheim, California
2. Phillips, Martin, "What has NASA ever done for us?" The Sun, http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/1752963/Top-25-things-NASA-has-done-National-Aeronautics-And-Space-Administration-celebrates-50th-anniversary.html, accessed April 19, 2012
3. Spinoff.NASA.gov, "Spinoff," http://spinoff.nasa.gov/, accessed April 20, 2012