Origins in Space

What do race cars and the International Space Station have in common? Want to know the secret to improving your tennis game? Discover these connections and explore how NASA missions and research affect our everyday lives.

This photographic exhibition looks at the scientific accomplishments and technological spin-offs that have resulted from NASA missions. For instance, did you know that NASA research in aerodynamics has proved highly applicable on the ground? The rounded corners and edges as well as the extended roof and sides on “eighteen wheeler” truck cabs can reduce fuel consumption by as much as 25 percent. On a smaller scale, next time you use a “dust buster” to clean up a spill on the floor, you can thank science! That’s right, in order to collect lunar core samples, NASA needed a compact, lightweight, portable drill powerful enough to bore as much as 10 feet into the hard lunar surface. Black & Decker engineers were able to design a powerful drill motor that operated with minimal battery power. Refinement of the original technology led to a proliferation of rechargeable cordless products we use today such as power drills and “dust busters.”

In addition to learning about some of the technological innovations, see the latest images from the Hubble Space Telescope and other missions downloaded daily via the internet and presented on a large plasma screen.

So if you think space exploration is all rocket ships and space suits, you might be surprised how much "outer space" enters our lives everyday!