NASA Scientist

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boishakhi

Mongoose
What is the best invention by by NASA? When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300°C.
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boishakhi said:
What is the best invention by by NASA? When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300°C.
Click to expand...
AndrewW said:
Well, they thought a common ballpoint pen wouldn't...

The USSR just used pencils.
Click to expand...
http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp

Originally NASA used pencils too, in the Mercury and Gemini programs. The hazards with these include broken leads floating around in zero G and hitting someone in the eye; pencil lead and wood burning in the oxygen atmosphere of a space capsule; or the graphite lead landing in something electrical.

Paul Fisher developed the "Space Pen" under his own initiative with neither request nor initial funding from NASA. When it proved up to the task, it was used by both NASA and Russia.
 
I work with a group of former NASA engineers trying to market a commercial version of a NASA technology. They have a two-part polymer cloth/sponge that is able to stretch its molecular bonds enough to allow water molecules to pass through it (it partly involves the charge of the water molecule). Their practical application is a filter with a 50 to 100 year expected operational life that uses no moving parts to convert sewage into ‘distilled’ quality water [for gray-water applications like irrigation]. The reaction happens all by itself based on either a temperature or pressure differential across the membrane.

True to form, US utilities are largely only semi-interested, but China has ordered giant treatment plants constructed, with the de-watered sludge that flows out of the other end to be pelletized and used for fertilizer.

A similar product balances temperature and humidity between HVAC inlet and exhaust ducts to pre-treat the fresh air entering a building and reduce the size, cost and power requirements to heat/cool a building by about 30% - again with no moving parts and a 50 year life (vacuum every 5-10 years for optimal performance).
 
Spam has been reported. :roll:

In respecting the OPs level of education: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/home/spinoffs_feature_k_4.html

For those who might have a chance at winning 'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?': http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/
 
Invented by NASA:
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
Infrared ear thermometers
Ventricular assist device
Artificial limbs
Aircraft anti-icing systems
Improved radial tires
Chemical detection
Video enhancing and analysis systems
Fire-resistant reinforcement
Firefighting equipment
Temper foam
Enriched baby food
Portable cordless vacuums
Freeze drying
Water purification
Solar energy
Pollution remediation
Structural analysis software
Remotely controlled ovens
NASA Visualization Explorer
Powdered lubricants

Not invented by NASA (no matter what you may have heard):
(but NASA did use or improve some of them)
Barcodes
Cordless power tools
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Quartz clocks
Smoke detectors
Tang juice powder
Teflon
Velcro
 
The "Invented by NASA" list is a bit too long, I think.
For example, artificial limbs, freeze drying and pow-
dered lubricants predate NASA by centuries, and a
couple of the other inventions ascribed to NASA we-
re made and used independently by others, too.
 
Actual direct NASA employees are rather limited in number - the vast majority who work at NASA facilities and for NASA are contractors. Thus, most 'inventions' are the work of other parties funded from NASA funds for NASA needs. Without this impetus, a great many things would not have seen commercial implementation. The U.S. Government otherwise provided very little funding for 'pure research' - especially till Bell Labs was neutered at the alter of cable TV and the SBIR program was started in haste to fulfill national security needs.
 
That is probably dependent on the viscosity of the ink. Too high and it won't be subject to capillary action. Too low and gravity and/or pen motion may pull it away from the ball.
 
Oh yeah - I thought this was pretty common knowledge... a 'normal' ball point pen should work pretty well.

There are issues of ink leaking (around the ball tip) and ink separating that a pressurized ink cartridge can help alleviate. Just like here on earth. I wish I had such pens when I tended to get leaky ones in shirt, and worse, pants pockets! (There was a reason for pocket protectors!)

A funny explanation I heard as a child was that pens don't work upside down, therefore wouldn't work in space... :mrgreen:
 
rust said:
The "Invented by NASA" list is a bit too long, I think.
For example, artificial limbs, freeze drying and pow-
dered lubricants predate NASA by centuries, and a
couple of the other inventions ascribed to NASA we-
re made and used independently by others, too.
Click to expand...
While NASA didn't invent some of the concepts, they either invented a specific product that has gained applications beyond NASA or helped an obscure scientific footnote to become a wide-spread commercial process.

Artificial limbs
Advancements such as Environmental Robots Inc.’s development of artificial muscle systems for use in NASA space robotic and extravehicular activities have been adapted to create more functionally dynamic artificial limbs. Other commercial uses of NASA’s temper foam include moldable materials offering the natural look and feel of flesh, as well as preventing friction between the skin and the prosthesis, and heat/moisture buildup.

Freeze drying
In planning for the long-duration Apollo missions, NASA conducted extensive research into space food. One of the techniques developed in 1938 by Nestle was freeze drying. In the United States, Action Products later commercialized this technique for other foods, concentrating on snack food. The foods are cooked, quickly frozen, and then slowly heated in a vacuum chamber to remove the ice crystals formed by the freezing process. The final product retains 98%of its nutrition and weighs much less than before drying. The ratio of weight before and after drying depends strongly on the particular food item but a typical freeze-dried weight is 20% of the original weight. Today, one of the benefits of this advancement in food preservation includes simple nutritious meals available to handicapped and otherwise homebound senior adults unable to take advantage of existing meal programs.

Powdered lubricants
NASA developed a solid lubricant coating, PS300, which is deposited by thermal spraying to protect foil air bearings. PS300 lowers friction, reduces emissions, and has been used by NASA in advanced aeropropulsion engines, refrigeration compressors, turbochargers, and hybrid electrical turbogenerators. ADMA Products has found widespread industrial applications for the material.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_spin-off
 
Wil Mireu said:
This thread has nothing to do with TRAVELLER at all. Was it some weird attempt at spam or something?
Click to expand...
Moral of that story is "Don't spam nerds by talking about NASA". (We love talking about space stuff).
 
BP said:
A funny explanation I heard as a child was that pens don't work upside down, therefore wouldn't work in space... :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

It doesn't work upside down because of gravity working against it, there being no gravity in space, unless you're under acceleration, it will work, as mentioned.

LBH
 
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