Great Athmosphere

Brombeere blüht im Oktober - heute aufgenommen.

Blackberry blossoming in october - Photo taken today,

Feel the power, see the beauty

The SP Lark Arriving at San Francisco August 25, 1967 – 3 Photos by Marty Bernard Via Flickr: SP 6452, an FP7, with Train 75, the LARK, arriving at the 3rd and Townsend SP depot, San Francisco, CA on August 25, 1967. A Roger Puta Photograph

This is what we all need sometimes.

From Racing Suits to Robotic Gloves: How to Gear Up with NASA Technology

Did you know you are surrounded by NASA technology? From your apartment building to the doctor’s office, and even in your cellphone camera, there is more space in your life than you think!

In the latest edition of Spinoff, we are introducing dozens of new ways NASA technology could cross your path. Whether you need an extra “hand” on the production line or a weatherproof jacket, check out how to gear up with technology made for space.

Grip-Strengthening Glove

Robots are crucial to exploring space and other planets – they could even support astronauts and form the advance party for places humans have yet to reach. But the human machine is hard to replicate.

A collaboration with General Motors helped us build Robonaut 2 – and the design for this robot’s hands has been adapted into a robotic glove that helps manufacturing employees, such as automobile workers, reduce injuries and improve quality control.

The Swedish company Bioservo used the Robo-Glove technology to create the world’s first industrial-strength robotic glove for factory workers who perform repetitive manual tasks.

The Ironhand glove adds force to the user’s grip with artificial tendons and pressure sensors on the palm and the fingers.

The result? Reduced strain on the user’s own tendons and muscles, meaning fewer workplace stress injuries and better comfort for workers.

Temperature-Control Fabrics

Spacesuits need major insulation and temperature control to protect astronauts on extravehicular activities, aka spacewalks. To help solve this, we created a phase-change material with help from the Triangle Research and Development Corporation.

With funding from a NASA Small Business Innovation Research contract, Triangle incorporated the material into a fabric glove insert that could maintain a steady temperature by absorbing and releasing heat, ensuring it feels just right.

While the invention never made it to orbit, it did make it into the driver’s seat.

Outlast Technologies exclusively licensed the material from Triangle and has incorporated it into outdoor gear, bedding, and now – auto racing suits with help from Cambridge, England-based Walero.

Due to extreme temperatures in the cockpit, drivers in almost every major racing championship wear Walero for its cooling properties. Cristiana Oprea (pictured) wears it while driving for the European Rally Championship. Credit: Walero

The race undergarments, bonded with fire-retardant material for added protection, help drivers maintain a lower core temperature and heart rate, which means fewer mistakes and better lap times.

The suits have been sold to both amateur racers and professional NASCAR drivers.

Lightweight Rain Jackets

The superinsulating material that makes up space blankets is one of our most ubiquitous spinoffs. Found everywhere from inside the walls and roofs of buildings to cryogenic tanks and MRI machines, radiant barrier technology was first created to insulate spacesuits and spacecraft. And now this NASA spinoff can be found in weatherproof jackets as well.

Inspired by her passion to run following a series of surgeries to help correct a life-threatening injury, Hema Nambiar launched her Larchmont, New York, start-up company 13-One. To create her jacket, she worked with Advanced Flexible Materials Inc.’s brand Heatsheets. The brand was already marketing products like the space blankets traditionally distributed after races to prevent dangerous drops in temperature.

The 13-One jackets are designed to be warm and weatherproof, but their thin, reflective lining lets them also be lightweight and easily portable. Credit: Lourenso Ramautar, Out of New York Studio

The resulting line of jackets has a black exterior and a lining to reflect body heat. They weigh less than a pound, are wind- and water-resistant, and easily pack into a small, built-in pouch.

Want to check out more NASA spinoffs? Be sure to find us on spinoff.nasa.gov and on Twitter.

Interested in licensing your own NASA technologies? Check out the NASA Technology Transfer program at technology.nasa.gov.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

Huuuuuh!

Flower, façade of an abandoned House, ca. 1900

very nice. For more information, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitamaebune

#酒田 は #北前船 の寄港地だった。それを記念した #石板 が道路に埋め込まれていた #stone #歴史 #酒田市 (Sakata, Yamagata) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgxmil8h4MB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

The guardians we see from the far

Bremen (Germany)

w-hen I was young, spelling was a big enjoyment for me. She's my hero.

Today in Black Excellence: Zaila Avant-garde—the first Black American to win the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee in almost 100 years, and she’s only 14!

“For spelling, I usually try to do about 13,000 words [per day], and that usually takes about seven hours or so…we don’t let it go way too overboard, of course. I’ve got school and basketball to do.”

—Zaila Avant-garde

Just how big is her achievement?

Enormous: She has only been competing for two years, and she beat 11 other finalists. And then there are the words she had to spell in the bee, like “querimonious” and “solidungulate” (!).

Get your dictionaries out, people, because we have no idea what these words mean either. Her victory was witnessed by the First Lady, Jill Biden, and celebrated on social media by former President Barack Obama and Bernice King, the youngest daughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Did we mention she also won $50,000?

Zalia’s victory makes her the first African American to win the iconic competition. She hopes to inspire other young Black students to do well in the Scripps Spelling Bee, describing the competition as a “gate-opener to being interested in education.”

Talk about Black Girl Magic—and not bad for a girl who turns 15 today. 🎉Happy Birthday, Zaila!🎉

Turns out spelling is not her only talent…

Zaila is a teenage basketball prodigy. She holds three Guinness World Records for dribbling multiple balls at once, appeared in an advertisement with NBA megastar Stephen Curry, and aspires to become a pro. She is also an elite unicyclist and can juggle and cycle simultaneously.

However, when it comes to her future, Zaila is sensible and considering several careers: working at NASA, coaching in the NBA, or playing in the WNBA. Then there is always what she describes as a “side interest:” neuroscience.

Original portrait by Tumblr Creatr @novva

Quote: “Zaila Avant-Garde is such an inspiration to me! It's amazing to know that someone who looks like me could accomplish so much at such a young age. It was an honor to illustrate her many achievements for BHM, and from one spelling bee champ to another, I hope she keeps on inspiring people!”

—@novva

Reverse, Look at the Price

Straße in Sakata (Nordwesteen von Honshu). Der Omnibus ist ein Isuzu Gala der zweiten Generation. (Wikipedia)

酒田駅前とバスが通る #駅 #station #bus #いすゞガーラ #日野ポンチョ #バス #酒田市 #動画 (酒田駅) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpOXF-OBF0w/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=