Where do barcodes come from?

Many materials and innovations developed for space travel have been taken up on earth. These include:

• Sunglasses
• Smoke detectors
• Barcodes
• Material used for dental braces
• Medical imaging
• Firemen's suits
• Cordless appliances
• The aerodynamic bicycle wheel
• Ski boots
• Shock absorbing helmets
• Joystick controls
• Heated thermal gloves
• And much more: http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/en/kids/spinoffs2.shtml

Food Technology

Space Food Sticks, high-energy flavoured snacks designed for astronauts, were designed so that they could slot into space helmets for emergencies. They were launched to the US general public in 1970 and proved a hit. http://www.funkyfoodshop.com/spacefood/ Scientists are currently researching ways for astronauts to drink carbonated drinks such as beer and soft drinks in space. At the moment, the mixture tends to turn into a foamy mess, but investigations are being carried out in America into how yeast works without gravity. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast21sep_1.htm?list6746

Holidays in Space

Virgin are launching a new space tourism business. Virgin Galactic will own and operate privately-built spaceships, modelled on the history-making SpaceShipOne. Take off in 2008 with a ticket costing US$200,000. www.virgingalactic.com. There's more here http://www.spacefuture.com/tourism/tourism.shtml about tourism in space.

Sailing Across the Solar System

For this to become routine we need a lot more power. Engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre in Alabama are working on packaging high energy. What else does NASA have on the drawing board? Transports might be driven by antimatter, fusion, electrodynamics, tethers, chemicals, space sails or energy beams. http://www.spacetoday.org/Rockets/FutureSpaceVehicles.html

Work Out in Space

The European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, came up with plans for a spacesuit that will allow astronauts to exercise and for a malaria information system to predict epidemics. Other ideas were on salt intake as a countermeasure to fluid loss in space and GAIA, an idea for global adaptive indoor atmosphere. http://www.esa.int/esaCP

Living on Mars

Hungarian scientists claim to have found evidence of living organisms on Mars after analyzing 60,000 photographs taken by the Mars Global Surveyor probe. http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mars_microorganisms_040803.html. It explored the composition of Mars' rocks, to help scientists understand the planet's evolution and whether humans could extract useful materials, such as construction supplies and metal ores, from the rocks, or oxygen from the soil, that could one day support communities on the planet. http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-life-01h.html

New Energy Sources

Scientists at the Johnson Space Centre are looking at new sources of energy from solar-electric power satellites, deuterium and helium 3 fusion or moon-based solar-panel arrays. Solar-power satellites (SPSs) can be built entirely from lunar material, do not need fusion and are not electric. In 1980, it was already evident that SPSs could produce enormous amounts of energy to fuel whole cities. http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/reason_03_000723.html

Keeping Cool

Spacesuits with internal cooling allow astronauts to withstand high temperatures during spacewalks. The cooling effect is obtained by inserting 50 metres of plastic tubing, 2 mm wide. The technology has been used to develop sports outfits and outdoor garments used on earth. http://www.space-travel.com/news/materials-02z.html

Farming Comets to Understand Life on Earth

NASAs Stardust project sent up a solar-powered probe in 1999, which will caught up with comet Wild 2 in early 2006. The space probe collected comet material and returned to earth. Comets carry water and organic material to the planets, so studying them can provide insights for biologists, chemists and other scientists. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/102933_planets06.shtml

Tsunami Warning System

A tsunami warning system has recently been installed in the Pacific Ocean, after the lack of early warning for the devastating 2004 tsunami. Sensors on the seabed and buoys on the ocean surface can detect an earthquake and a resulting tsunami. Transmitters on the buoys send signals to satellites, which alert ground stations. http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/misr_tsunami/index.shtml#

Space Medicines

Space's gravity-free conditions allow more effective processes than on earth for separating biological materials. NASA and other companies have worked on continuous flow electrophoresis experiments to produce erythropoietin, a hormone important for stimulating human red blood cell production. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/special/newdrug/spacemed.html

Cell and Tissue Growth

Knowledge of conditions in space has helped American scientists engineer heart tissue that can one day be used for transplants and other vital operations.http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/msad05oct99_1.htm