Page 285 - Inventions - A Visual Encyclopedia (DK - Smithsonian)

FREEZE-DRIED FOOD
Although the process of freeze-drying to preserve FAST FACTS
food was invented in the 1930s, its unique benefits
were discovered by NASA scientists looking at Fruit retains its ■ ■ Although the principle of generating
appetizing color electricity from sunlight was discovered
methods for storing food on long-duration Apollo
and flavor in the 19th century, cheap and efficient
spaceflights. Freeze-drying removes water solar cells originated in a NASA-
but preserves vitamins, minerals, sponsored project to develop solar-
and other nutrients that are powered aircraft.
restored when the meal
■ ■ Famous inventions that are often
is rehydrated. wrongly attributed to the space race
between the US and Russia include
Teflon™, Velcro®, and the integrated
circuit (microchip).

F reeze-dr ied str a wber r ies SPACE
Freeze-dried strawberries
WOW!
FIRE SAFETY
According to some Fire is one of the deadliest hazards for Lightweight,
estimates, each dollar spacecraft and their crews, and space agencies heat-resistant alloys
invested in the US space such as NASA have made some important reduce weight
of equipment.
program results in breakthroughs in fire safety. Firefighters
up to $10 of wider use air bottles, face masks, and other
long-term benefits. equipment made from a heat-resistant
aluminum composite that was first
developed for use in rocket casings, and
materials based on Apollo spacecraft heat
shields are used to insulate structural steel
supports in high-rise buildings.

Heat-resistant textiles
based on astronaut
flight suits

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