Photo courtesy of the Conversation
the Past
Blast to
Has NASA created your future?
By Jonah Wang
take your hands off your keyboard and stare off into space thinking about the past. You suddenly run over to a box in your room and pull out a chunk of wood with some buttons. You put it on your desk, plug it in and your screen responds: a computer mouse.
You
NASA is responsible for many of the everyday toys and trinkets that you use on a day-to-day basis. Water filters, LED lights and wireless headphones are just some of the many inventions that started as space technology.
First, the computer mouse. The computer mouse was in much need because of all the screens that NASA was using to observe every mission that was conducted. Even though the keyboard was already invented, it was not very good at fast, pinpoint movements. So Bob Taylor, the person responsible for funding the computer mouse project, and Douglas Engelbart, the main researcher of the mouse project started working on one of the most influential pieces of modern technology.
They weren’t interested in using computers as “arithmetic machines” as they were being used during the 1950s and 60s. Taylor was interested in Engelbart’s ideas so he decided to fund Engelbart’s research to find the best device for pinpoint actions. Engelbart said that most of the other researchers on the project developed pen-like devices which were favored more than others. In the end though, Engelbart’s early mouse won.
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Engelbart compares the first mouse that he made to a newer mouse at the time. Courtesy The Bootstrap Institute
“In 20 or 30 years, you'll be able to hold in your hand as much computing knowledge as exists now in the whole city, or even the whole world,” said Engelbart, and he was right. Now computer “mice” are more ergonomic, more accurate and more portable compared to Engelbart’s mouse which was a block of wood with wheels to move. Whether it’s wireless, wired, optical or laser mice we should thank Mr. Engelbart and Mr. Taylor.
One kind of computer mice, optical mice, use red LEDs to bounce light off a surface onto a sensor inside the mouse that then relays that information back to the computer and onto your screen. On the topic of optical mice: LEDs.
LEDs are used in many different places for many different purposes. NASA used LEDs for their development of plant growth in space research. “LED lights are efficient and versatile,” Gioia Massa, a scientist for NASA on Deep Space Habitation said. “Because of their durability and long life, they are ideal for space missions where resupply of things from Earth is limited.”
Lettuce is grown in a growth chamber with a variety of different LED's. Courtesy of NASA
LEDs were then used by NASA in the medical field after “experimenting” with them on plants. NASA issued an “innovation grant” to Quantum Devices Inc. to develop a hand-held, high-intensity LED light to treat tumors. Eventually the use of LEDs by NASA led to them being utilized in other places. In the medical field, LEDs have expanded its use to surgical equipment, exam lighting and everywhere else so there’s plenty of light everywhere. It’s found in all sorts of places: automobiles, electronics, and even is suitable for house renovations.
Wireless headphones are also a byproduct of NASA that uses LEDs and maybe some wit. Modern wireless headphones use LEDs as indications for different actions that a pair of headphones can do.
Multi-colored LED's are used to light up a child's hospital room. Photo courtesy of University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital
The development of wireless headphones actually started with a pair of wired headphones. United Airlines wanted a new pair of headphones for their pilots because the ones at the time were excessively uncomfortable and bulky. Two men, Courtney Graham and Keith Larkin founded Pacific Plantronics Inc. (Now Plantronics Inc.) to create the Plantronics MS-50, a lightweight, compact headset. After some modifications to the device, the FAA accepted the design and it was ready to be used in the field.
When Plantronics was developing their new headset they found out that pilots weren’t the only ones interested in a new communication device and one of the groups that were interested in a new headset. NASA was one of those groups that wanted Plantronics wares because they were looking for a self-contained communication device because after the Liberty Bell 7 landed in the ocean, the hatch door blew along with the radio preventing astronaut Gus Grissom without a way to contact his recovery team.
Plantronics in collaboration with NASA started developing a communication device that could be integrated into an astronaut’s helmet. In 11 days they had a working microphone design that had a new, revolutionary addition: noise-canceling. Noise-cancelling headphones are a hallmark of modern headphones.
Plantronics improved their reputation by collaborating with NASA and grew into a successful company creating headphones throughout the years. They were the pioneers of wireless headphones and their legacy has inspired many companies to create modern headpieces. Sony, Sennheiser and many, many more have followed in their footsteps to make this modern commodity.
Wally Schirra, the first person to try out the wireless headset, on the day of his mission. Courtesy of NASA
There are many NASA inventions out there that have revolutionized our modern society, but how does society respond to them? Wireless headphones, LEDs, and the computer mouse are some pieces of modern technology that would’ve never been created unless NASA had pulled us into the future. Society takes commemorative inventions like these and throws them into the “forgotten bin” and takes them for granted. Give your thanks whenever you put on your headphones or touch your mouse.
Even though we take it for granted, there are people that collect these relics of the past and recreate them. They rebuild them and try to make them as nostalgic as they once were and sometimes make them better.
For example, the keyboard, a hallmark of modern technology, was at first a typewriter. The typewriter had many variations from it’s launch in 1868 and it’s nostalgic recreations of the 21st century. Then there’s IBM’s signature Model M keyboard. Made in 1985, it’s still one of the best mechanical keyboards even after 35 years. Some have tried to recreate this beast with the help of modern technology, but have failed in creating the same pristine feel.
Children learn how to use ancient technology at their elementary. Courtesy of Lakeview Elementary
Which of your personal belongings are NASA inventions? Have you ever thought about the past? Why should you care about the past? The past helps us see our mistakes and faults, but it also lets us see our development. Trouble seeing in the dark, we created the light bulb; trouble drinking water, we created the bowl/cup. All of these modern conveniences that we take for granted all came from our flaws, so I think we should be very thankful for the past.
If you’re ever at your grandparent’s house, ask them about what it was like “back in the day” and what things seem familiar to them. Which of our modern day conveniences surprise them and make them say, “That brings me back.” If you’re ever thinking about the past, pull your hands off your modern accessories, and try putting them on in the past. Plug them in, turn it on and experience where we came from.