The majority of people in the United States fail to realize the impact that The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) technology has had on the world. Whether the technology has an impact on the everyday person or changes the entire field of the study, NASA’s technology will be modified in order to be sold for consumer uses. Personality, I use some of these technology a lot in my life. One NASA technology that I use and has made my life slightly easier is fogless ski goggles. I am an avid snowboarder and goggles are essential for all riders. But goggles very easily fog up and basically make the rider blind.  Constantly wiping and cleaning the lenses goggles was a real inconvenience. Fortunately for skiers and snowboards, NASA developed a technology to solve this problem.

First, in the mid 1970’s NASA was having a problem with fogged windows on the space shuttle. Windows were actually fogging before the vehicle even launched.  This was a very serious problem because the pilots need to have one hundred percent visibility while operating the spacecraft or a fatal mistake could be made.  NASA’s engineers at Johnson’s Space Center were put on the job to solve this problem. They developed an anti-fog coating composed of liquid detergent, deionized water, and oxygen compatible oil. This coating solved the problem; this mixed did not allow the fog to form and therefore providing optimum visibility.

Over the years, this coating was developed for consumer use. NASA issued licenses to some companies so they could produce this product for everyday uses instead of just on the space shuttle. One of these uses happened to be anti-fog lenses on ski goggles. So the old lenses of ski goggles were replaced with a highly advanced anti-fog lens. This technology was very easy to incorporate into the consumer market saying it just coating that can go right on the lens. The anti-fog coating greatly improved the product of ski goggles. The fact that skiers and snowboards do not have to worry about their goggles failing on them anymore makes life so much easier and allows them to just have fun doing the sport they enjoy. When I switched to anti-fog lenses, I noticed the change right away. Also the coating on the goggles didn’t make the product much more expensive, only increasing in price by ten dollars.

In conclusion, the integration of NASA technology into the consumer world is limitless.  Whether it is just a coating on ski goggles or technology that can save lives. NASA’s technology isn’t just important for the space program but I believe more important in improving life for everyone here on earth.

http://spinoff.nasa.gov/spinoff/spinitem?title=Fogless+Ski+Goggles

http://sportinglifeangel.info/fogless-ski-goggles-nasa.html