What should the government cut?

[john9001]

NASA has already paid off, i give you Velcro, among many other things.

[Holden McGroin]

NASA has already paid off, i give you Velcro, among many other things.

The hook-loop fastener was invented in 1941 by Swiss engineer, George de Mestral who lived in Commugny, Switzerland.

Now Tang, that... wait the original orange flavored Tang was formulated by General Foods Corporation in 1957.

OK, Teflon... no, DuPont developed that in 1938...

What the hell did NASA spin off?

Scratch resistant lenses, golf ball areodynamic improvements, Dustbuster, shock-absorbing helmets, home security systems, smoke detectors, flat panel televisions, high-density batteries, trash compactors, food packaging and freeze-dried technology, cool sportswear, sports bras, hair styling appliances, fogless ski goggles, self-adjusting sunglasses, composite golf clubs, solid state cooler/warmers, ozone generators for pool cleaning w/no chemicals, Whale identification method, environmental analysis, noise abatement, pollution measuring devices, pollution control devices, smokestack monitor, radioactive leak detector, earthquake prediction system, sewage treatment, energy saving air conditioning, and air purification.Arteriosclerosis detection, ultrasound scanners, automatic insulin pump, portable x-ray device, invisible braces, dental arch wire, palate surgery technology, clean room apparel, implantable heart aid, MRI, bone analyzer, and cataract surgery tools.

among others.

[DREDIOCK]

NASA has already paid off, i give you Velcro, among many other things.

Velcro I beleive is the one thing attributed tot he space program. that isnt.
It was actually teh idea of a guy who had gone on a walk and had the idea when he had to pull off those round spiked plant pods that get stick iin your socks

Overall, the invention of Velcro was an interesting and detailed process.  Shortly after George de Mestral discovered the hook and loop design of the grass burrs, he shared his findings with his family friend, Alfred Gonet.12  Recognizing the potential of a practical new fastener, de Mestral quit his job as an engineer, received a loan for $150,000 from the bank, and began experimenting with ways to recreate the hook design of the common burr.14  Immediately, he conversed with fabric and cloth experts who worked with different types of woven and knit cloth in Lyon, France.  The city of Lyon, at this time, was a worldwide center for weaving.15  At first, de Mestral's proposal met with ridicule and resistance, but the inventor stuck by his ideas. Together with a weaver from a textile plant in France, de Mestral worked to perfect his hook and loop fastener, which he initally wanted to label "locking tape."16  Cotton was the first material that successfully transformed into this hook design, but it was too expensive to mass produce.17  So de Mestral experimented with other fabrics.  All in all, it took de Mestral eight years of trial and error until he developed a successful design.18  Oddly enough, it was by accident that he realized that nylon, when sewn under infrared light, formed tough hooks for the burr side of the fastener.19  Using this as his guideline, de Mestral developed a two-sided fastener in which one side had stiff "hooks" like the burrs and the other side had soft "loops" like the fabric of his pants.  This discovery was a very simple way to attach two things.

In 1951, de Mestral was granted a patent in Switzerland for his new product, which he named Velcro.  French for the word "hook," Velcro is derived from the words "velours" and "crochet." 20  In 1952, with the support of a company called Gonet & Company, de Mestral began the first Velcro company called Velcro S.A. in Switzerland. Velcro S.A. received additional patents in ten other countries, including the United States.


A list of NASA spinoffs

http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html

Among them

SEMICONDUCTOR CUBING - NASA initiative led to the Memory Short Stack, a three-dimensional semiconductor package in which dozens of integrated circuits are stacked one atop another to form a cube, offering faster computer processing speeds, higher levels of integration, lower power requirements than conventional chip sets, and dramatic reduction in the size and weight of memory-intensive systems, such as medical imaging devices.

SCRATCH-RESISTANT LENSES - A modified version of a dual ion beam bonding process developed by NASA involves coating the lenses with a film of diamond-like carbon that not only provides scratch resistance, but also decreases surface friction, reducing water spots.

MICROSPHERES - The first commercial products manufactured in orbit are tiny microspheres whose precise dimensions permit their use as reference standards for extremely accurate calibration of instruments in research and industrial laboratories. They are sold for applications in environmental control, medical research, and manufacturing.

LASER ANGIOPLASTY - Laser angioplasty with a "cool" type of laser, caller an excimer laser, does not damage blood vessel walls and offers precise non-surgical cleanings of clogged arteries with extraordinary precision and fewer complications than in balloon angioplasty.

MICROLASERS - Based on a concept for optical communications over interplanetary distances, microlasers were developed for the commercial market to transmit communication signals and to drill, cut, or melt materials.

EMERGENCY RESCUE CUTTERS - Lightweight cutters for freeing accident victims from wreckage developed using NASA pyrotechnic technology.

ADVANCED LUBRICANTS - An environmental-friendly lubricant designed to support the Space Shuttle Mobile Launcher Platform led to the development of three commercial lubricants for railroad track maintenance, for electric power company corrosion prevention, and as a hydraulic fluid with an oxidation life of 10,000 hours.

[Getback]

NASA has already paid off, i give you Velcro, among many other things.

Didn't McPherson Struts evolve from NASA lunar program?

[Holden McGroin]

The first car to feature MacPherson struts was the 1949 Ford Vedette.

Google and wiki are your friends.