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50th Anniversary Essay Competition Winners
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Third Prize
Megha Subramanian
7th Grade, Hershey Middle School in Hershey, Pennsylvania
Teacher: Mrs. Stover
Prize: $1,000 College Scholarship
Topic: Describe how you benefit today in everyday life due to NASA aerospace technology and spinoffs from the last 50 years.
NASA In My Food
When you think of food, NASA rockets, satellites and astronauts are not the first things that come to mind. But in fact many things that we take for granted like fresh food made in remote controlled ovens to freeze dried esoteric food are the "earthly benefits" of NASA space research. Several NASA inventions have contributed to the improvement of quality and variety of food available to astronauts. These inventions have improved quality of processed food and produce on earth.
NASA technology that helped pioneer the geostationary satellites and satellite weather mapping are critical for food production, shipping and transport all over the world. Food safety standards developed for the protection of astronauts have been adopted as new FDA standards. NASA technology for water conservation, purification and recycling has become a commercial water purification system that has provided fresh water in places with water scarcity and in times of natural disasters.
NASA research has contributed to improving nutritional content of food. NASA performed tests for its Closed Environment Life Support System (CELSS) program with a microalgae that they considered using as a food supply, a source of oxygen, and as a waste disposal agent in space. This product is now known as Formulaid contains two polyunsaturated fatty acids called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid) that are linked to mental and visual development. These acids are normally found in human milk, but were not included in infant formulas. Because of Formulaid, DHA and ARA are now common ingredients in infant formulas around the world.
NASA has helped food production by giving remote sensing satellite information to farmers to improve pest control and crop education all over the United States and in remote areas like sub Saharan Africa. NASA's satellite technology has made it easier to communicate and connect with others around the world. Thanks to NASA technology and the multitudes of geostationary communication satellites, I can talk to my grandmother in India, watch her cook "good eats" with my cousins for Indian celebrations. Esoteric Indian vegetables and produce shipped in special space saving vacuum containers using NASA developed technology enables me to get the same culinary experience as my cousins in India.
NASA technology has made it easy for busy working moms to provide hot meals to kids when they get home from school. TMIO remote controlled oven was invented using NASA Embedded Web Technology Software. This novel oven keeps all the ingredients refrigerated until the perfect time to cook and then through remote control that can be changed via the Internet or by pushing a few buttons on a cell phone, the oven changes itself to a hot oven such that the food is ready to be served when kids arrive from school.
So, while space exploration remains the main business of NASA, inventions and discoveries made by NASA scientists continue to benefit all of us on Earth in many ways. NASA is in my food today and is probably in yours today or will be soon!
To learn more about some of the technologies mentioned, follow these links:
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NASA Spinoff
A service of the NASA IPP, providing NASA's premier annual publication of successful commercial and industrial applications of NASA-sponsored technology.
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NASA Home and City
Discover how space exploration impacts your daily life.
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