In the 1990s, a team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory worked to create cameras with scientific quality that were small enough to fit on spacecraft. Today, one-third of all cameras contain this technology.

Sneakerheads can thank “one small step” for the development of their favorite accessory. A former NASA engineer first pitched the idea for hollow shoe soles filled with shock-absorbing material, drawing from suit-construction technology developed by the space program.

Space is a place of extreme temperatures, leading to NASA’s development of insulation from an aluminized polymer to maintain a comfortable climate inside spacecraft. Today the material is used in homes to reduce heating and cooling bills.

The nutritional enrichment ingredient in most infant formulas can trace its origins back to NASA-sponsored research that explored the use of algae to feed astronauts on extended missions in space.

NASA’s innovations in shock-absorption materials, as well as robotics and extravehicular activities (more commonly known as spacewalks), are being adapted to develop more functionally dynamic artificial limbs.

The ubiquitous wireless headphones of today wouldn’t be possible without NASA’s investments in communication technology to keep astronauts connected while keeping their hands free.

Memory foam mattresses, as well as more comfortable amusement park rides and even football helmets, are possible because of an incredible foam developed by NASA in the late 1960s to provide comfort and shock absorption for test pilots.

The first portable computer with a clamshell design was created by NASA for the space shuttle program. Design advancements for subsequent models required modified hardware and new software, which propelled the commercial market for personal laptops. In the 1960s, a researcher with the space agency was trying to make computers more interactive, with an idea of how to best manipulate data on a computer screen leading to the birth of the computer mouse.

Digital signal-processing technology pioneered by NASA during the Apollo missions for computer-enhanced pictures of the moon was the forerunner for advanced body-imaging techniques like CAT scans.