This week is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing (no, it wasn’t filmed in a studio in Burbank, California) so I thought it appropriate to have a look at what technology, space exploration has brought to humanity and to look at some of the devices that are being developed for future exploration.
In 1976 NASA first published Spinoff, an annual booklet featuring technology made available to the public that was first developed for the space program. Each year features approximately 50 technologies and there is currently almost 2,000 Spinoff products in the Spinoff database (online here). Some of the more well known technologies include:
infrared ear thermometers
ventricular assistance devices (heart pumps for patients awaiting transplants)
LASIK (cornea correction surgery)
Artificial Limbs
Light emitting diodes in medical therapies
Invisible braces
Scratch resistant lenses
Space blanket
3D food printing
Aircraft anti-icing systems
Improvements to radial tires
Chemical detection systems
Landmine removal
Fire resistant reinforcement shields
Improved Firefighting equipment
Shock Absorbers for buildings
Temper Foam (known as memory foam in mattresses, pillows etc)
Enriched baby food
Portable cordless vacuums
Freeze drying
Space age swimsuit (remember Ian Thorpe’s swimsuit)
Digital image sensors
Air-scribbers
Water purification systems
Single-crystal silicon solar cells (up to 50% more power than conventional cells)
GPS Error correction
Structural analysis software
Remotely controlled ovens
OpenStack (for cloud computing)
Powdered lubricants
There are other inventions that the public have falsely attributed to the space program and these include; Velcro (Swiss invention from the 1940’s), Barcodes (1948 but NASA adapted the technology), Cordless Power Tools (Black & Decker 1961), MRI, Teflon (Dupont in 1941) and Tang juice powder (General Foods in 1957 but was used on multiple missions).
NASA is currently developing a range of robots and other equipment to explore our Solar System.
Climbing Robots
Robots can currently drive on the plains and craters of Mars however they can not explore the cliffs, polar caps and other hard to reach places. LEMUR (Limbed Excursion Mechanical Utility Robot) can scale rock walls by gripping with hundreds of tiny fishhooks in each of its’ 16 fingers. It uses AI to find its’ way around obstacles. This photo is from a test climb in Death Valley, California.
A Mechanical Worm for an Icy World
The Ice Worm climbs one inch at a time. An adaption of a single arm of LEUUR it moves by scrunching and extending its’ joints like an inchworm. The robot climbs ice walls by drilling one end at a time and scrunching and moving slowly up. Also driven by AI it is able to learn from the past navigation experience and mistakes. The Ice Worm is currently being tested in Antarctica. It is part of a generation of projects being developed to explore the icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter which may have oceans under their frozen crusts.
A Robotic Ape like creature
Ice Worm isn't the only approach being developed for icy worlds like Saturn's moon Enceladus, where geysers at the south pole blast liquid into space. A rover in this world would need to be able to move on ice and on silty, crumbling ground. RoboSimian is being developed to meet that challenge. RoboSimian drives a space vehicle, walks on 4 legs, crawls, moves like an inchworm and can slide on its belly like a penguin.
Tiny Climbers
Micro-climbers are wheeled vehicles small enough to fit into a coat pocket but strong enough to scale walls and survive falls up to 3 meters. Some micro-climbers use LEMUR's fishhook grippers to cling to rough surfaces, like boulders and cave walls. Others can scale smooth surfaces, using technology inspired by a gecko's sticky feet.
A Cliff-Climbing Mini Helicopter
A small, solar powered helicopter that can fly in short bursts on Mars. It will be the first machine to fly in the much thinner Martian Atmosphere. A perching mechanism adapted from LEMUR’s design will allow the robot to cling to Martian cliffside giving it the freedom to roam and search for evidence of life. It is shown here sitting on its’ aluminum base plate that holds it to the belly of the Mars rover as it is transported across Mars.
Finally, if you wish, NASA will send your name to Mars. Here is the link to register. Your name will be stenciled on a silicon chip and sent with the Mars 2020 rover. The text will be smaller than one-thousandth the width of a human hair (75 nanometers) so you won’t be charged excess baggage (it is free). A million names can fit on each chip. This is an initial step in humanity’s first round trip to another planet. You have until Sept 30, 2019 to register and obtain a souvenir boarding pass (the scheduled departure is slightly delayed).
That is the most Frequent Flyer Miles I have ever earned in one flight. Unfortunately not enough for a return journey.
Paying it Forward
If you have a start-up or know of a start-up that has a product, ready for market please let me know. I would be happy to have a look and give the start-up a shout out to my readers if it is something that I think they could use. If you have any questions or comments please email me via my website craigcarlyon.com
Till next week.