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Impact of space technology
OVER the past few decades, technology involved in space exploration has had a direct impact on everyday life. Despite mounting criticism of billions of dollars being spent on the space industry, we should realise the impact it has had on the common man. The technology used in space exploration actually forms the basis of innovations in our daily life. Engineers have been rather busy in making inventions meant for space cost-effective, so that we may use them to raise our living standards.
The technology has played a vital role in saving the lives of millions. The pacemakers used to treat cardiac patients, as well as the remote monitoring devices for intensive care patients, were actually derived from the telemetry systems that were first used to monitor astronauts and spacecraft. Similarly, much of the portable equipment which are used routinely in ambulances are the consequence of Nasa’s need for them on board its spacecraft.
In 2003 when the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) threatened the lives of hospital staff who were at war against the deadly disease, the Astronaut Centre of China came up with a solution by designing a special cooling waistcoat based on its spacesuit technology so that nurses and doctors wearing heavy anti-virus uniforms didn’t have to go through the trauma of high temperatures. Likewise, a medical cooling system used by patients, firefighters and surgical personnel in hot operating room environments has its roots in the need for channeled cooling garment for space. This technology has enhanced the working capability of these people by raising their efficiency levels.
Patients awaiting heart transplant used large, external heart pumps. Engineers are now working on Nasa’s tiny yet highly reliable pumps that may provide an alternative to these large devices.
Aerospace engineering has helped make life easier for firefighters in the last five years or so. Old and heavy breathing cylinders used by firefighters often needed to be left behind because of difficulty in handling. As a result, many firefighters lost their lives due to smoke and inhalation. These cylinders have now been replaced by lightweight and portable breathing equipment used by astronauts.
Firefighters and rescue workers use life-saving “jaws” to help injured victims. The tools are powered by the same small explosive charges that release the space shuttle’s solid rocket boosters. The rescue tools can be set up quickly, are lightweight and cost-effective.
They were used in the Oklahoma City bombing rescue efforts. The smoke detectors now placed in most homes are universally credited with saving countless lives and are a result of a technology originally developed for Nasa’s Skylab spacecraft of the 1970s.
Nasa has played a key role in the last few decades or so in the rapid globalisation of this universe. Over the last few years, satellite telecommunication has provided numerous kinds of service to human beings, improving areas such as data transmission, satellite transmissions, rescue operations, medical data sharing and, most importantly, mobile telecommunications, which has affected the lives of millions of people.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is the most significant recent advancement in navigation and positioning technology. The new constellation provided by the GPS serves this important need.
GPS is an aerospace technology that uses satellites and ground equipment to determine a position anywhere on the planet. Anyone can use the system free of charge. All you need is a small receiver. This has drastically changed methods of navigation and is fast becoming important in everyday life.
In 2003 when Sars threatened the lives of hospital staff, the Astronaut Centre of China came up with a solution by designing a special cooling waistcoat based on its spacesuit technology so that nurses and doctors wearing heavy anti-virus uniforms didn’t have to go through the trauma of high temperatures
In the past, communication between tank drivers and command posts on the battlefield was constantly interrupted until spacesuit headphones were introduced which reduced extraneous noise. They have became a part of most armies.
Nasa’s contribution to today’s world of technology is not restricted to just a few fields. Its contribution to better body imaging technology may seem small but is crucial. Such imaging is acquired through digital image processing through two of the most commonly used body imaging techniques: computer-aided topography and magnetic resonance imaging.
These two methods were developed with the aid of digital image processing technology that ameliorated picture quality of the Moon and later became the basis for the Nasa Landsat satellites. Similarly, space scientists developed digital cameras in the ‘60s to transmit pictures from outer space to Earth using satellite signals. Japanese giant Sony later turned the device into a consumer product.
Increasing population has changed agricultural lands into residential areas. This has posed great concerns to the agricultural authorities. Nasa came up with a solution by collaborating with Disney World to use human and industrial waste providing ingredients needed for growing edible plants. Many vegetable farmers around the world are getting used to growing crops without soil — a method known as hydroponics which also has a promise for long space flights during which astronauts will grow their own food without carrying heavy soil into space.
Very few of us would link the technology used in wristwatches to aerospace technology. Quartz timing crystals were first developed for Nasa as a highly accurate, lightweight and durable timing device for the lunar-bound Apollo spacecraft.
Spacesuit material is used in the construction of shopping centres, sports stadiums, airports and many other places. It expands and contracts with temperature, changes light and reflects heat, thus reducing cooling and lighting costs.
Nasa’s use of aluminised materials to serve as lagging for satellites and spacecraft has helped start a revolution in effective insulating materials, ranging from survival blankets to wraps for water heaters to new types of interior home insulation.
Aerospace technology has even enhanced the technology used in sports. Companies have worked with the air load to provide unmatched accuracy and distance in its latest golf ball design, a technology used in space shuttle’s water tank. Because of this technology, the liquid inside the golf ball sloshes around (while the ball is in the air) unless it forces the ball to move in a predictable way.
This is not the end. In fact, this is the beginning of a new era, as Columbus — the European Space Agency’s research laboratory for International Space Station — is being launched. Columbus will stretch the frontiers and provide researchers with the ability to conduct numerous experiments in space.
This laboratory is operated by a robotic hand manned by astronauts and is expected to yield great technological findings.
The aerospace industry has, and will, continue to play a critical role in the advent of new technologies in our lives. It not only aids space exploration but also benefits the common man.
There is a dire need for the government to initiate a space programme in our country. Such a step will not only help shape a better image of Pakistan on the global scene, but will also help us develop better technologies.
The writers are freelance contributors
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