20 Products We Can Thank NASA For
Imagine if NASA had more funding.
![20 Products We Can Thank NASA For](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/2/7/6/746276_320x180.jpg?v=2)
NASA's research has helped to develop many everyday products here on Earth. Read below to find out about 20 products that were invented because space travel exists.
![ATHLETICSHOES The process used for astronaut helmets is now used in tennis shoes. Former NASA engineer Frank Rudy pitched a shock absorber that would](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/2/2/7/746227.jpg?v=2)
![CARDIAC PUMPS peoong NASA used technology that imitates fluid flow through rocket engines to keep heart patients alive while they wait for a heart don](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/2/0/3/746203.jpg?v=2)
![Ear THERMOMETERS Originally made to check the temperature of the infrared information of celestial objects, the technology was ON modified to measure](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/9/9/746199.jpg?v=2)
![MEMORY FOAM Originally developed for the shock absorption and comfort of airplane seats, memory foam is used in everything from helmets to mattresses](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/9/8/746198.jpg?v=2)
![WIRELESS HEADSETS NASA, along with two airline pilots, developed a hands-free communication device for astronauts during the Apollo and Mercury missio](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/9/7/746197.jpg?v=2)
![HIGHWAY SAFETY GROOVES Initially made for NASA runways, these grooves help to reduce hydroplaning on many roadways and airport runways. CRACKED COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/2/0/0/746200.jpg?v=2)
![INSULIN PUMP ACT The technology for these pumps, which eliminate the need for daily insulin injections, was first used on the Mars Viking spacecraft.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/9/1/746191.jpg?v=2)
![CORDLESS POWER TOOLS AH 18.0v ERTOTS Cordless power tools were developed during the Apollo project in order for astronauts to be able to do repairs in](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/9/2/746192.jpg?v=2)
![INVISIBLE BRACES Polycrystalline alumina was originally made for heat-seeking missile technology, but NASA helped to apply it to smile technology.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/2/0/2/746202.jpg?v=2)
![FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT SUIUGNTI The technology and material made for spacesuits have been used for firefighters' suits. CRACKED COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/9/5/746195.jpg?v=2)
![LASIK EYE SURGERY Technology used to track astronauts' eyes in space is now used in LASIK surgery to track the patient's eyes. CRACKED COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/9/3/746193.jpg?v=2)
![BABY FORMULA NASA contracted Marietta Laboratories to create a space food with microalgae. Instead, they ended 270 .lllb'l''li'! up making 240 technol](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/8/8/746188.jpg?v=2)
![BUILDING SHOCK ABSORBERS Shock absorbers now used for buildings and bridges for stabilization during earthquakes were originally used to protect equip](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/9/4/746194.jpg?v=2)
![SCRATCH-RESISTANT LENSES NASA'S Lewis Research Center developed a technique to create a hard coating for aerospace systems, which is now used for glas](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/8/7/746187.jpg?v=2)
![FREEZE DRYING TECHNOLOGY During planning for the Apollo missions, NASA developed freeze drying which allows food to maintain nutrients with less weigh](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/2/0/1/746201.jpg?v=2)
![SUPERSOAKER NSR SUPER SOAKER XP100 Okay, this one is cheating a little because the inventor was NASA rocket scientist Lonnie Johnson, but he created i](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/7/7/746177.jpg?v=2)
![LAPTOPS CRID linsh The first portable computer, the GRiD Compass, required hardware and software modifications before it found its way on a spaceshutt](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/8/9/746189.jpg?v=2)
![WATER FILTRATION Now standard technology, NASA developed iodine and cartridge filters to ensure clean drinking water for astronauts in the 1970s. CRAC](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/9/6/746196.jpg?v=2)
![CAMERAPHONES NASA'S Jet Propulsion Lab created small but powerful cameras to fit on spacecrafts. 1/3 of all cameras use this tech. O CRACKED COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/8/3/746183.jpg?v=2)
![ARTIFICIALLIMBS NASA'S shock absorbtion and robotic technology are used to develop prostheses. CRACKED COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/1/7/6/746176.jpg?v=2)
NASA's research has helped to develop many everyday products here on Earth. Read below to find out about 20 products that were invented because space travel exists.