The free market has a damn good record in developing new communication technologies. The printing press, radio, telephone, television, telegraph, fax machines, were all developed by private entities.
Not counting the military aspect: 1. Artificial limbs Innovations originally designed for space vehicles, including artificial muscle systems, robotic sensors, diamond-joint coatings, and temper foam, make artificial human limbs more functional, durable, comfortable and life-like. 2. Scratch-resistant lenses After NASA developed scratch-resistant astronaut helmets, the agency gave a license to Foster-Grant Corporation to continue experimenting with scratch-resistant plastics, which now comprise most sunglasses and prescription lenses. 3. Insulin pump Needing to monitor astronauts' vital signs in space, the Goddard Space Flight Center created monitoring systems that have been adapted to regulate blood sugar levels and release insulin as needed. 4. Firefighting equipment The polymers created for use in space suits have been valuable in creating flame-retardant, heat-resistant suits for firefighters. Newer suits also feature circulating coolant to keep firefighters from succumbing to heat and advanced breathing systems modeled after astronaut life support systems. 5. DustBusters During the Apollo moon landings, NASA partnered with Black & Decker to invent various battery-powered tools for drilling and taking rock samples in space. This led to the creation of the ultra-light, compact, cordless DustBuster. 6. LASIK Technology used to track astronauts' eyes during periods in space in order to assess how humans' frames of reference are affected by weightlessness has become essential for use during LASIK surgery. The device tracks a patient's eye positions for the surgeon. 7. Shock absorbers for buildings Shock absorbers designed to protect equipment during space shuttle launches are now used to protect bridges and buildings in areas prone to earthquakes. 8. Solar cells Out of a need to power space missions, NASA has invented, and consistently improved, photovoltaic cells, sharing the advancements with other companies to accelerate the technology. 9. Water filtration In the 1970s, NASA developed filtration systems that utilized iodine and cartridge filters to ensure that astronauts had access to safe, tasteless water. This filtering technology is now standard. 10. Better tires After the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company invented the material used in NASA's Viking Lander parachute shrouds, the company began using it in its everyday radial tires. The material is stronger than steel and adds thousands of miles of life to the tires. 11. Wireless headsets Along with two airline pilots who'd invented a prototype of a wireless headset, NASA built a light, hands-free communication system that would allow astronauts to communicate with teams on Earth. The technology was utilized in the Mercury and Apollo missions. 12. Adjustable smoke detector In partnership with the Honeywell Corporation, NASA improved smoke detector technology in the 1970s, creating a unit with adjustable sensitivity to avoid constant false alarms. 13. Invisible braces After NASA and Ceradyne invented a clear material that could protect radar equipment without blocking the radar's signal, Unitek Corporation/3M teamed up with Ceradyne, using the material to invent invisible braces. 14. Freeze-dried foods During long space missions where every ounce of weight and inch of space aboard a shuttle must be maximized, freeze-dried foods have become a staple. Freeze-dried foods are incredibly light, and they retain their nutritional value. Once reconstituted, they are also easier and more pleasant to eat than former meal sources that were packed into squeeze tubes. 15. Camera phones In the 1990s, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory invented a light, miniature imaging system that required little energy in order to take high quality photographs from space. This technology has become standard in cell phone and computer cameras. 16. CAT scans NASA's digital signal technology, originally used to recreate images of the moon during the Apollo missions, is the underlying technology that makes CAT scans and MRIs possible. 17. Baby formula A nutritious, algae-based vegetable oil invented by NASA scientists who were searching for a recycling agent to use during long space missions is now an additive in many infant formulas. It contains two essential fatty acids that cannot be synthesized by the human body. 18. Lifeshears The pyrotechnic mechanism used to detach a space shuttle from its rocket boosters after launch is the same used in Lifeshears, but in a smaller scale. Lifeshears are a tool that can be used in emergency situations to cut into cars or collapsed buildings to rescue people trapped inside. 19. Grooved pavement The requirements for landing space shuttles led NASA scientists to do extensive research on minimizing hydroplaning – when vehicles slide uncontrollably on a wet surface – on runways. They discovered that cutting grooves into runways helps channel water away from the runway and significantly reduces accidents. Many highways and airports now have grooved pavement. 20. Air purifier In the sealed, artificial environment of a spacecraft, attempts to grow plants have led to ethylene buildup. NASA invented an air purifier for the International Space Station that is now used widely on Earth – everywhere from restaurants, to hospitals, to refrigerators – to remove ethylene, which hastens decay, as well as other particulates and pathogens. 21. Memory foam Memory foam was originally invented as a pad for astronaut seats that would mold to their bodies during the high forces of takeoff and landing, then return to a neutral state. This eliminated the need to customize seats to individual astronauts' body sizes. 22. Workout machines Because prolonged exposure to zero-gravity leads to bone loss and muscle atrophy, NASA created workout machines to enable astronauts to maintain physical fitness while in space. 23. Home insulation NASA began experimenting with insulation technology for the Apollo space crafts and suits, leading to the invention of common construction insulation. 24. Infrared ear thermometers Infrared ear thermometers, which allow for instant temperature capture without the risk of picking up pathogens and causing cross-infection, utilize the same technology developed for assessing the temperature of distant planets. 25. Ice-resistant airplanes Ice is a real threat for shuttles in space, and NASA has devised multiple electronic solutions to prevent ice formation on spacecrafts, some of which are now used on commercial aircraft. 26. Portable computer The first portable computer, the Grid Compass, was used on multiple shuttle missions in the 1980s. Nicknamed SPOC (Shuttle Portable On-Board Computer), the computer could communicate with onboard devices and was used to launch satellites off space shuttles. 27. LEDs Intended for use to help in growing plants aboard space shuttles, NASA's LED technology has been utilized in the development of LED medical devices that relax muscles and relieve pain in soldiers, cancer patients, and those with Parkinson's disease. 28. 3D food printing The ability to cook food on long space missions is no longer impossible with the invention of 3D food printers. This technology is now being refined for commercial use for the production of chocolates and other confections as well as to create nutritious foods for diabetics and others with specific dietary needs. 29. Computer mouse While searching for a way to increase interaction with onboard computers and allow users to perform tasks like manipulate data, NASA and Stanford researchers developed the first mouse. 30. Athletic shoes A shock-absorbent rubber molding designed for astronauts' helmets inspired what is now a common feature in the soles of modern athletic shoes.
I don't understand your post or see a point here. The neat thing the free market and NASA (government) have in common is every innovation/breakthrough/invention is still a done by man and still good for mankind. It's hard to hate that.
Orange Tang, not poon like Ted Nugent sang about I always thought Velcro was from the space program but it was not invented for it. Velcro was used during the Apollo missions to anchor equipment for astronauts' convenience in zero gravity situations. Although it is a Swiss invention from the 1940s, it has since been associated with the Space Program.
Maybe the reason so much of America is at each others’ throats is the lack of music! There used to be Sooo many good bands, sooo many wild, beautiful live shows, sooo much good music on the radio. Modern music is a husk of what it once was, so we listen to talk radio and argue. If everyone would sit down, pop a cold one, and turn this up too loud to talk over, maybe we’d all get along… Patrick
Over here, nobody gives a crap what anyone says… https://www.turbobuick.com/threads/covid-vaccine-poll-anonymous.471286/page-66#post-3963044
Two things: 1) Ted Nugent live is awesome 2) Us Canada folk up here, gave you guys the "Canada Arm" to grab, move and fix stuff in space so hey we did something lol
Very nice. Leaving aside the fact that most defense research is done by private companies (and we can talk about the corruption and crony capitalism if you wish) how many libraries would we fill if we bothered to list innovations by the private sector during the same time frame? Fact remains that those innovations you list were done by suppressing parts of the private sector via taxes, money that was spent without the accountability and incentives for efficiency that exist in the private sector.
Would there have been the same incentive to go to the moon if it weren’t a race between the soviets and the US? I highly doubt the private sector would even look twice at going to the moon unless there was a huge profit to be made. In 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the Earth. In 1969 the Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the moon. That’s an unbelievably large leap in technological progress in such a short timespan. We all benefit from it today on a daily basis. That’s not to say that innovations in the private sector aren’t as important. Science doesn’t always follow a profit incentive, so there are areas the private sector won’t touch. At the end of the day a company isn’t going to spend money on research and development that won’t make them money down the line, and that’s fine. There’s room for both public and private sector innovation.
^^^ Uncle Sam said: "If we can put a man on the moon, we can put a nuke up your butt, no matter where your butt is hiding!" That's what he said, in July of 19 and 69. It wasn't about whacking golf balls in 1/6 G, dropping hammers and feathers, or bringing back a bag of rocks.
