Top 10 NASA Inventions In the early 1960s, an aeronautical engineer named Charles Yost worked on technology designed to make sure that the Apollo command module and its astronauts could be recovered safely after landing. That experience came in handy four years later, when Yost was tapped to help NASA's Ames Research Center develop airplane seating that could absorb the energy of crashes and increase passengers' chances of survival. Yost created a special type of plastic foam that had the seemingly miraculous ability to deform and absorb tremendous pressure, then return to its original shape. Researchers discovered that the "slow springback foam," as it was called initially, not only made passengers safer, it also made sitting for hours on long flights more comfortable because it allowed for a more even distribution of body weight. In 1967, Yost formed his own company, Dynamic Systems Inc., which marketed the innovation as "temper foam." Since then, memory foam has found its way into scores of applications.
In the 1970s and 1980s, pro football's Dallas Cowboys team used it to line players' helmets to reduce the trauma of impact on the field. Shoe manufacturers have called on the foam to create special high-comfort insoles. In hospitals, mattress pads and wheelchair seats made from the foam support patients with painful, dangerous sores on their bodies. Companies continue to find new uses for memory foam and its descendants. A Colorado company uses a type of memory foam to build inflatable bumper rafts, which resist sinking, for whitewater rides at theme parks. A company in Kentucky builds it into horses' saddles and uses it to make prosthetic braces for injured animals [source: NASA Spinoff]. Next, we'll look at an invention with the smarts to protect NASA's high-tech equipment from the elements -- both on and off the Earth.We receive free products to review and participate in affiliate programs, where we are compensated for items purchased through links from our site (at no cost to the buyer).
See our for our list of comped products and affiliate programs. If you’ve ever been mattress shopping you know the sheer number of options can be overwhelming. Some mattresses can last up to a decade, which means you’re investing in a good night’s sleep for a pretty long time. The more durable the mattress, the less likely you will need to purchase a new one anytime soon. Knowing what and how your mattress is made will help you assess its durability and longevity. While mattresses come in all types of material and filling, this post will focus on the durability of the popular memory foam mattress. Memory foam is made up of a material called visco-elastic polyurethane foam (Memory Foam just sounds a lot better, right?). Quick fun fact: Memory foam was invented in the 1960’s by researchers funded by NASA to improve the airplane seat cushion for test pilots! It has become increasingly well known because it uniquely conforms to your body through heat and pressure.
Tempur-Pedic really made this category popular with their line of memory foam mattresses that so many people own today. Mattress retailers say that memory foam mattresses provide health benefits. The conforming ability of memory foam, for example, allows for greater spinal alignment, which can be great for those with back pain issues. When it comes to the lifespan and durability of your memory foam mattress, you will want to take two main things into consideration: layers and foam density. Memory foam mattresses aren’t just made up of memory foam. They typically have memory foam on the top comfort layers and then either polyfoam or springs as the support system. The number of layers and density of each layer helps determine the durability and overall quality of the mattress. There is often a base layer followed by two or three additional layers. Every mattress is susceptible to a “weakest link,” where if one of the layers is really low-density, then the mattress overall will be less durable, even if the other layers are high-density.
The base of the mattress often sets the foundation for durability. Most likely, a thicker and higher-density base layer equates to a more durable mattress. If the base layer is polyfoam, a density of 1.8 lbs. or more is considered good for durability. Foam density is measured in pounds per cubic foot. Mattress are often 2-5 pounds per cubic foot. Density levels typically fall into these three categories for memory foam mattresses: In many mattresses, the base layer is often the thickest layer (in terms of height). The higher the density of the base layer, the more support the mattress will provide overall. Higher density means there is more foam per cubic foot within the mattress layer. This translates to higher durability and higher quality. And yes, the mattress will most likely be more expensive. More expensive mattresses will tend to have more memory foam than other types of foam as well. Keep in mind that density does not equal firmness when it comes to foam.
However, higher density typically means more durability and more support. The truth is a good mattress fit is a personal choice. But when it comes to memory foam mattresses, make sure to look at these qualities: Typically, a higher density foam (measured in pounds per cubic feet) means more support and more durability – and a higher price tag.JT had just gotten married and he and his wife set out to buy their first piece of furniture together–a new mattress. The search began at local mattress showrooms; vast fields of mattresses neatly laid out under the buzz of fluorescent lights. Pushy salesmen pushed them to buy a fully loaded, feature-rich memory foam mattress. For $3,300 it should have been the pinnacle of comfort, but it wasn’t. To make matters worse, the return policy rendered it impossible to return. It was like car shopping. Actually it was worse than car shopping. At work the next day, he shared his story with Daehee. The two friends from college had been working together at a company in Palo Alto, and unsurprisingly had similar experiences.