Revised: May 2009

One of the familiar complaints that NASA receives when its budget comes up for approval is that "...the money really ought to be spent down here instead of up there". Leaving aside the fact that NASA's civil servants and contractors all live here on Earth, and thus the money is spent here, NASA's fifty years of research and development have resulted in a wide range of inventions and processes, ranging from the complexity of image processing through the simplicity of fire-resistant kid's pyjamas.

One facet of NASA's research, aviation safety, is a continuing legacy from NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Council on Aeronautics. It is so important to the public that it has a NASA HQ library webpage to itself. If you are a NASA HQ employee, please consider subscribing to our news alert on aviation safety to get the latest news.

This pathfinder will help you get a general overview of what NASA's inventions and developments have done to make our lives easier. If you would like to know the paths NASA's inventions take from lab benches to store shelves, please visit our webpage on the Diffusion of Innovations. If you would like to see how NASA's research and development efforts aid America's economy in dollars and cents, please visit our webpage on Measuring Return on Investment for Government Programs and Agencies. If you are a NASA HQ employee, please consider subscribing to our news alert on commercialization and technology transfer to get the latest news.

All items are available at the Headquarters Library, except as noted. NASA Headquarters employees and contractors: call x0172 or email Library@hq.nasa.gov for information on borrowing or in-library use of any of these items. Members of the public, contact your local library for the availability of these items. NASA Headquarters employees can request additional materials or research on this topic. The Library welcomes your comments or suggestions about this webpage.

Books and Multimedia

Baker, David. Scientific American Inventions From Outer Space: Everyday Uses for NASA Technology. New York, NY: Random House, 2000.

T212 .B33 2000 BOOKSTACKS

 

Bijlefeld, Marjolijn, and Robert L. Burke, Jr. It Came From Outer Space: Everyday Products and Ideas From the Space Program. Westport, CT : Greenwood Press, 2003.

TL865 .I83 2003 BOOKSTACKS

 

Butrica, Andrew J. (ed.). Beyond the Ionosphere: Fifty Years of Satellite Communication. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA History Office, 1997.

TK5104 .B48 1997 BOOKSTACKS

Note: Also available through the website of the NASA History Office.

 

Dick, Steven J., and Roger D. Launius (eds.). Societal Impact of Spaceflight. Washington, DC: NASA, 2007.

CB440 .S63 2007 BOOKSTACKS

Note: Also available through the website of the NASA History Office in two parts, part 1 and part 2.

 

Henson, Robert. Satellite Observations to Benefit Science and Society: Recommended Missions for the Next Decade. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2008.

QC879.5 .S2845 2008 BOOKSTACKS

 

History Channel (Television network). Modern Marvels: It Came From Outer Space. Las Vegas, NV: Hybrid Technologies, 2007.

TL865 .M634 2007 DVD VIDEO-COLL

 

National Research Council. Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space. Earth Science and Applications From Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2007.

G70.4 .E37 2007 BOOKSTACKS

 

Netzband, Maik, William L. Stefanov, and Charles L. Redman. Applied Remote Sensing for Urban Planning, Governance, and Sustainability. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag, 2007.

GF125 .A66 2007 BOOKSTACKS

 

Tomayko, James E. Computers in Spaceflight: The NASA Experience. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Scientific and Technical Information Division, 1988.

QA76.15 .E56 T65 1988 BOOKSTACKS

Also available through the website of the NASA History Office.

 

United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA Earth Observations: Serving Society. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2007.

TL521.312 .N364 2007 BOOKSTACKS

 

__________. Office of Public Affairs. NASA Hits: How NASA Improves Our Quality of Life. Washington, DC: NASA Public Affairs Office, 2004.

T173.4 .N59 2004 BOOKSTACKS

Note: This is also available as a flash presentation.

 

United States Space Foundation. Space Spinoff Technologies. Colorado Springs, CO: United States Space Foundation, 1996.

T173.4 .S63 S65 1996 BOOKSTACKS

 

Warnecke, Lisa. NASA as a Catalyst: Use of Satellite Data in the States. Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Mission to Planet Earth, 1997.

G70.5 .U6 W37 1997 BOOKSTACKS

Also available through NTRS as document no. 19970028985.

Journals

Aerospace America

 

Aerospace Engineering

 

Aviation Week and Space Technology

 

NASA Tech Briefs

 

Spinoff

 

Technological Innovation

Internet Resources

Bar-Sever, Yoaz. NASA Global Differential GPS System. April, 10, 2009 [May 14, 2009].

http://www.gdgps.net/index.html

 

Dunbar, Brian. NASA in Your Life. May 14, 2009. [May 14, 2009].

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/nasalife/index.html

 

International GNSS Service. May 4, 2009 [May 14, 2009].

http://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov/

 

Maluf, David A. NASA TechFinder. 2009 [5 Sept. 2007].

http://technology.nasa.gov/

 

Morris, Christopher. NASA Search and Rescue Mission Office. April 27, 2009 [May 14, 2009].

http://searchandrescue.gsfc.nasa.gov/

 

NASA Tech Briefs. 2009 [May 14, 2009].

http://www.techbriefs.com/

 

Netting, Ruth. Applied Sciences Program. March 31, 2009. [May 14, 2009].

http://nasascience.nasa.gov/earth-science/applied-sciences

 

Turner, Janelle. NASA Innovative Partnerships Program. May 11, 2009 [May 14, 2009].

http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ipp/home/index.html

 

__________. Spinoff. March 19, 2009 [May 14, 2009].

http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/

 

__________. Technology Innovation. April 22, 2009 [May 14, 2009].

http://ipp.nasa.gov/innovation/index.html

 

Other Websites

 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Satellites. May 14, 2009 [May 14, 2009].

http://www.noaa.gov/satellites.html

 

Space Foundation. Space Technology Hall of Fame. 2009 [May 14, 2009].

http://www.spacetechhalloffame.org/

 

The Ultimate Space Place. NASA Spinoffs: Bringing Space down to Earth. 2004 [May 14, 2009].

http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html

 

US Geological Survey. Landsat Project. April 2, 2009 [May 14, 2009].

http://landsat.usgs.gov/index.php