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    On Monday, Aug. 6, NASA’s $2.6 billion rover, Curiosity landed on Mars. With 17 cameras and lasers to survey the composition of rocks, Curiosity hopes to explore the red planet for at least two years. This is exciting for space geeks, but what about the ordinary man? Ask the layperson about NASA, and they think of Tang orange drink or pretty pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope. In these times, many people ask, “What have you done for me lately?” Well, here are just some of the everyday things the space program has given us.

    Satellites

    While the Department of Defense played a role in GPS -- think of your cellphone, satellite TV and Google Earth mapping features -- our world would be remarkably different without the advances made possible by NASA.

    It has been estimated by U.S. space experts that “for every dollar the U.S. spends on Research and Development in the U.S. Space Program, it receives $7 back in the form of corporate and personal income taxes from increased jobs and economic growth.” (Problem-Solving-Techniques.com). Not a bad investment.

    In fact, “one in every 1,000 patents issued by the United States Patent and Trade Organization has gone to scientists or engineers working on NASA projects.” (NASA.gov) Silicon Valley may be our vanguard when it comes to software, and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) for all things military, but NASA is the country’s true pioneering force.

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    Heat Protection

    Materials from the space shuttle’s thermal protection system (and the extreme heat it encounters) are used in protecting firefighters and NASCAR drivers.

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    Freeze-Dried Food

    Until the day comes when astronauts can just take a pill to live, they need to eat. Food takes up valuable space, and so does the equipment needed for cooking. Imagine a stove, refrigerator, pantry and microwave on a shuttle or space station. The solution? Freeze-dried food. The end product weighs one-fifth the original, while retaining 98 percent of its nutrition. An extra bonus: no dishes to wash.

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    Solar Energy

    NASA pioneered photovoltaic power systems where no other long-term energy sources existed. That’s exactly how the International Space Station gets its electricity. This ain’t no hippie dream; it’s reality.

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    Life-Saving Tools

    Firefighters use a handheld device called Lifeshears that contains the same charge used to separate a space shuttle from its boosters during launch. The device requires no auxiliary power, which saves precious time, and can easily tear open the roof of a car to help people in accidents escape safely. It is also less expensive than previous rescue equipment.

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    Water Filters

    Astronauts need clean water. The solution was water filters. The same technology -- filter cartridges that use iodine to clean water -- is used for cleaning water in municipal water plants.

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    Smoke Detectors

    NASA needed a smoke-and-fire detector for Skylab, America’s first space station. Honeywell, Inc. developed the unit for NASA. Think of the countless lives saved since then.

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    Memory Foam

    You know those mattresses where your body sinks into a form-fitting sponge? That memory foam, or “slow, springback foam,” was created by aeronautical engineer Charles Yost to make sure the Apollo command module and its astronauts could be recovered safely after landing. Memory foam can be found in football helmets, amusement park rides, furniture, shoes (for high-comfort insoles) and even horse saddles to resist impact. (HowStuffWorks)

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    Scratch-Resistant Eyeglasses

    This discovery, like many, was made by accident. A scientist was working on a water-purification system when he developed a thin, plastic coating that was tough. NASA used it as an abrasion-resistant coating for space helmet visors. Later, a sunglasses manufacturer commercialized the technology, and today, if you wear glasses, they are almost certainly plastic with scratch-resistant coating.

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    Expansive Thinking

    The greatest asset NASA has given us is a different perspective of who we are in the world and our place in it. As Carl Sagan (pictured), one of NASA’s visionaries said, “Everybody starts out as a scientist ... every child has the scientist’s sense of wonder and awe” (NASA.gov).

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    Next: 10 Unexplained Space Mysteries

    The List Goes On

    Not enough for you? How about an insulin pump, portable X-ray machines, laser angioplasty, cordless power tools and appliances, high-density batteries, trash compactors, space pens, ribbed swimsuits (including the one worn by Olympian Michael Phelps), dialysis machines, improved radial tires, and landmine removal? Without all of these developments, we’d feel like we were back living in the Stone Age.