Everyone’s favorite (and only!) American space organization has many incredible aspects to it: from its original goal when formed, to the rumors and speculation that surround it, to the technology they created that we use in our day to day lives. Here are several interesting facts about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Discoveries that are out of this world
Skeptics and deniers will argue that there’s no point in exploring and colonizing the stars. They claim that we can satisfy our research itch with a telescope right here on Earth, but since its formation, NASA has been steadily proving age-old theories correct. Even more exciting, they’ve also been discovering intriguing new aspects of the universe we inhabit that need further explanation. Did you know that Albert Einstein didn’t believe that black holes were possible? Despite this, telescopes launched into space were able to look around and find irrefutable proof that couldn’t be dismissed as mere background radiation.
Just recently, NASA’s thorough probing has discovered a planet close by to ours (a mere 40 lightyears away) that is covered in many exotic forms of water. Not only is this exciting because water is one of the scarce but vital components necessary for life to form, but the water itself is under conditions that allows it to go into states that simply cannot be observed on Earth. If you’ve ever wanted to see “hot ice” or “superfluid water,” you should book the next ticket to Planet GJ1214b!
But be advised that you’ll need to clear it with NASA’s Office of Planetary Protection (and wait for the technology to develop!) before you hop over to this newly discovered planet. Even though the opportunities to set foot on other planets and possibly find alien life are uncertain, they take protecting planets from humanity very seriously. After all, it wouldn’t do for an astronaut to discover new life, accidentally sneeze on them, and wipe out the entire species! Their job is to consider all possibilities of harm that we could cause, and then prevent it.
Discoveries that are on this world
While NASA’s research has always been geared towards space, they have discovered many new technologies that we adapted and now use here. For example, GPS (Global Positioning Satellites) were originally a series of military satellites that NASA launched for the purposes of tracking and observing activity on the surface. However, a few entrepreneurs looked at the data and immediately realized we could use that to help with Earth-bound navigation and exploration. From getting directions to the store, to diving into caves too fragile to set foot in, we’ve all found a use for NASA’s satellites.
There’s an old joke that American astronauts invented the ballpoint pen, which didn’t need gravity for the ink to flow, just so that we could finally write in space… while Russian cosmonauts just used pencils. While there are some inaccuracies with that anecdote, it is true that a lot of the common pens we use today were designed and developed as “Space Pens,” so that we could leave a more permanent mark while floating around out there. As a result, quills and squid ink are no longer required.
Those are just a few of the more common inventions with ties to NASA. They’ve also contributed greatly to other mundane things we take for granted, like pre-packaged meals, wireless technology (including your phone), solar panels, and memory foam. In their pursuit of the stars, they’ve passed on the knowledge they gleaned to help advance humanity through the modern era. And they continue to break new boundaries and push for new innovations to continue propelling us forward. We’re excited to see what they’ll discover next!
