NASA Spinoff 2017 -- Here Are Some Space Tech Used on Earth Today

NASA technologies always have the best interest of Earth in mind. The NASA Spinoff 2017 reinforced this where the top technology by the agency are used for Earth-borne purposes.

Did anyone guess that the memory foam was developed and was inspired by a NASA technology? Since the 1970s there were about 50 commercial technologies that originated from NASA researchers are now being used on Earth for the benefit of human life. The agency releases an annual publication to describe some NASA Spinoff for the year, according to CNET.

This year's publication highlighted the top technologies with NASA origin. "Technology drives exploration and each year NASA technologies and innovators receive numerous awards in recognition of their achievements, a NASA official said in the official Spinoff 2017 website. "Some honor cutting-edge space exploration missions and technologies, while others hail breakthroughs and inventors that have the potential to change life on Earth," the official added.

One important technology is the crash test cameras used today to record 1,000 frames per second in order to study vehicle crash test. The same technology was originally used for parachutes and other landing systems according to Business Insider.

The NASA Spinoff 2017 also discussed some technologies that are now applicable in the health sector on Earth. The cooling in heating systems in space that are manually regulated to keep astronauts comfortable have given birth to Earth-borne technologies such as the cooling garments that are utilized in athletic, medical and even industrial uses. Meanwhile, the temperature regulating fabrics are used to adapt to babies and their required level of temperature.

The technologies are not limited to science. The NASA Spinoff 2017 list includes technologies targeted to transportation, public safety, consumer goods, energy and environment, information technology and even in industrial purposes. Although president-elect Donald Trump is thinking of cutting the funds for NASA's planetary science research dedicated to climate change research, various NASA technologies have proven to be the inspiration behind useful applications today like the Earth observatories to help prevent forest fires, some innovative GPS technologies that can help tractors and high-tech analyzers used for farming and identifying rocks and soil.

But NASA is not taking all the credit for all these amazing technologies. NASA credits the development of innovative technologies to the American businesses and entrepreneurs that develop life-changing innovations that might improve the quality of life here on Earth by licensing products and collaborating with the agency to improve the output. The results are not only life-changing but can also, potentially, save lives.