Mike Rapoport ) wrote:
: The point was that ICs existed before Apollo. There are many claims of
: spinoffs from the space program and I don't doubt that there are some.
: I would argue that most of those spinnoff products would have occured
: without the space program and at lower cost.
:
The Apollo program did bring together scientists from diverse fields
who probably wouldn't have worked together in other industries.

Here's sites that document some of the spinoffs:

http://www.nasatech.com/Spinoff/spin...dard_mill.html
Goddard Space Flight Center-Spinoff 1988

"Automotive Design

The accompanying photos show exterior and interior views of the 1987
Honda Acura Legend Coupe, which was designed with the aid of the
NASA-developed NASTRAN^® computer program. The Legend is among the
latest cars designed by Honda R&D Company, Ltd., Japan, a longtime
user of the NASTRAN program.

The program is an off-shoot of the computer design technique that
originated in aircraft/spacecraft development. Engineers create a
mathematical model of the vehicle and "fly" it on the ground by
computer simulation. This allows study of the performance and
structural behavior of a number of different designs before settling
on a final configuration..."

http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/sp....html#computer
NASA spinoffs, space benefits, space history, NASA space spinoffs,
NASA technology products


The following list of spinoffs is from:

http://vesuvius.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/spinoff.html
THE BEST OF NASA'S SPINOFFS

Laser Angioplasty
Cardiac Imaging System
Advanced Pacemaker
Implantable Heart Aid
Body Imaging
Computer Reader for the Blind
Ocular Screening System
Advanced Wheelchair
Radiation-Blocking lenses
Collision Avoidance System (for aircraft)
Self-Righting life Raft
Weather Information Processing
Corrosion-Resistant Coating
Air/Wastewater Purification Systems
Heat Pipes for the Alaska Pipeline
Cordless Products
Stratch-Resistant Sunglass Coating
Structural Analysis (NASTRAN)
Clean Room Apparel


--Jerry Leslie
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