NASA Spinoffs: Everyday Products That Came From Space Tech (and the Myths)

Ask a room of people what NASA invented and you’ll hear Tang, Velcro and Teflon. All 3 answers are wrong. NASA’s own Spinoff team says so on its FAQ page. The real list is less famous but more useful: the camera in your phone, the foam in your mattress, the coating on your glasses and the food safety system behind almost every packaged meal in the US.

This guide uses NASA’s own spinoff records to separate genuine space-to-Earth technology from the myths. It also covers how NASA decides what counts as a spinoff and how businesses can license NASA technology today.

What counts as a NASA spinoff

NASA uses the word “spinoff” for a commercial product that uses NASA technology or expertise. According to the Spinoff FAQ, that covers several routes:

• Products first designed for NASA and later sold commercially
• Products developed under NASA-funded agreements or partnerships
• Products made with NASA-developed manufacturing techniques
• Products that had major input from NASA labs or engineers
• Companies started by former NASA employees using agency expertise
• Products built on NASA data or software

The definition is broad on purpose. A spinoff doesn’t need to be an object NASA invented from scratch. It can be a product that a NASA contract, test facility or engineer made possible.

NASA has published Spinoff every year since 1976, and the Spinoff website says it has profiled more than 2,000 spinoffs. The 50th edition, Spinoff 2026, came out in January 2026. It covered new spinoffs in 3D-printed housing, robotics and an implantable heart monitor, along with 20 technologies that are ready to license.

One caveat from NASA itself: the agency doesn’t endorse spinoff products or vouch for manufacturers’ performance claims. “Developed with NASA” on a box tells you where the technology came from. It doesn’t tell you how good the product is.

Real NASA spinoffs you probably use

These are the spinoffs NASA documents with a clear line from agency work to a consumer product.

Memory foam

In the late 1960s, under a NASA contract, aeronautical engineer Charles Yost developed an open-cell polymer foam for airline seats. The goal was better crash protection and comfort. The foam absorbs energy, then slowly returns to its shape. Originally called “slow spring back foam,” it became known as temper foam and later went into mattresses, pillows, helmets and medical cushioning. NASA’s FAQ lists it as a genuine spinoff.

Phone camera image sensors

In the 1990s, a team led by Eric Fossum at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) developed the CMOS active-pixel sensor to make spacecraft cameras smaller and less power-hungry. JPL says the sensor used about 1% of the power of the older CCD technology. Fossum co-founded Photobit to commercialize it. Today the descendants of that design sit in nearly every phone camera, webcam and many medical and dental imaging devices. NASA’s Spinoff 2017 credits the technology with enabling phone cameras and HD video.

Scratch-resistant lens coatings

NASA developed a hard coating to protect space equipment and helmet visors. According to NASA, the first scratch-resistant eyeglass lenses used that coating.

Infrared ear thermometers

Infrared sensing technology from JPL, built for space science instruments, helped Diatek develop an aural thermometer. It reads the infrared energy from the eardrum and gives a result in about 2 seconds, without touching mucous membranes.

Emergency blankets and insulation

The shiny “space blanket” uses a plastic film coated with a metallic reflective layer that NASA first developed. Related reflective insulation now shows up in home insulation and firefighter gear.

HACCP food safety

This is the least glamorous spinoff and probably the most important. In the 1960s, Pillsbury worked with NASA to make food for Gemini and Apollo crews. Testing finished batches wasn’t enough, so the team built a system to find hazards and control critical points during production. That became Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, or HACCP. NASA’s account traces how HACCP moved from space food into FDA rules for low-acid canned foods in the 1970s. HACCP-style preventive controls later spread across the food industry under the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act.

Infant formula nutrients

NASA-sponsored research in the 1980s looked at microalgae as a food source for long missions. The researchers later founded Martek and found an algae strain that naturally produces DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid. NASA reports that Martek’s algae-based nutrients ended up in the large majority of US infant formulas.

Key takeaway: The most widely used NASA spinoffs are rarely the ones people name. Phone camera sensors, memory foam and the HACCP food safety system reach far more people than any space-branded drink.

The famous myths: what NASA didn’t invent

NASA’s FAQ addresses these directly. Here’s the short version.

The pattern is clear. Many “NASA inventions” were existing products that became famous because astronauts used them. Spaceflight is great marketing, so the association stuck.

Why space programs create so many spinoffs

Spacecraft push engineering to extremes. Every gram matters, power is scarce, temperatures swing hundreds of degrees and repairs are often impossible. Solving those problems produces technology that turns out to be useful on Earth:

• Miniaturization. Smaller, low-power sensors (like CMOS cameras) suit phones and wearables.
• Reliability. Methods for proving a system won’t fail (like HACCP) carry over to food, medicine and manufacturing.
• Materials. Insulation, coatings and foams designed for spacecraft and aircraft find homes in buildings, clothing and furniture.
• Software and data. NASA’s Earth observation data and modeling tools feed agriculture, weather and climate products. GPS is a related story, though it’s a US Space Force system. Our guide on how GPS works explains it.

This is also why the commercial space economy matters beyond launch companies. Each new program, from Artemis lunar missions to reusable rockets, creates engineering problems whose solutions eventually reach consumer products.

How to check whether a product is a real NASA spinoff

Marketing claims about “space technology” are common and often loose. Here’s how to verify them.

1. Search NASA’s Spinoff database. The Spinoff site lets you search past stories by company, product and category.
2. Read the FAQ myths list. If the product is Tang, Velcro, Teflon or one of the other common myths, NASA has already answered it.
3. Look for the specific NASA link. A real spinoff story names a NASA center, contract, license or engineer. Vague phrases like “inspired by space technology” usually mean there’s no documented link.
4. Remember NASA doesn’t endorse products. Even a documented spinoff gets no NASA guarantee on quality or performance.
5. Check the NASA Technical Reports Server. For older spinoffs, NTRS holds the original Spinoff articles as PDFs.

Where to start if your business wants to use NASA technology

Spinoffs aren’t just history. NASA’s Technology Transfer Program exists to move agency inventions into the private sector, and small businesses and startups can use it.

• Browse the patent portfolio. NASA lists patented inventions available for licensing, grouped by category such as materials, sensors, health and medicine, and propulsion. Spinoff 2026 put the portfolio at about 1,300 inventions.
• Download free software. NASA’s software catalog offers hundreds of programs for engineering, data processing and design. Many are free to download, though some carry usage restrictions.
• Talk to a technology transfer office. Each NASA center has staff who handle licensing questions and partnership agreements.
• Watch “Spinoffs of Tomorrow.” Each Spinoff edition highlights technologies that are ready to license but don’t have a commercial partner yet.

For a small manufacturer or startup, licensing a proven NASA invention can be cheaper than building the same capability from scratch. Terms vary by technology and use, so read each license carefully and get advice before you sign. If you’re thinking about working in this area, our guide to getting a job in the space industry covers technology transfer and commercialization roles.

Conclusion

The honest list of NASA spinoffs is more impressive than the myths. Tang and Velcro got famous from orbit, but NASA-funded work gave us phone camera sensors, memory foam, scratch-resistant lenses, ear thermometers and the food safety system behind modern packaged food. For any product, the best check is NASA’s own Spinoff records. If you’d like more space and tech terms explained, visit our glossary.

Sources

• NASA Spinoff FAQ — definition of a spinoff, myths (Tang, Teflon, Velcro, cordless tools) and confirmed spinoffs
• NASA Spinoff home page — publication since 1976 and more than 2,000 profiled spinoffs
• NASA Technology Transfer: Spinoff 2026 — 50th edition, patent portfolio size, new spinoffs
• JPL: From space to phones — CMOS active-pixel sensor origin and power savings
• NASA: Food safety program for space has taken over on Earth — HACCP history with Pillsbury and FDA adoption
• NASA Spinoff 2017: CMOS sensors enable phone cameras — phone camera and HD video impact