Jul 4 1972
From The Space Library
NASA released mid-year review of items of collateral space technology which had been adapted to improve quality of life on earth. Items included compact, automatic gas analyzer that measured air in lungs to monitor human pulmonary and cardiovascular activity; temperature-activated remote thermistor alarm that sounded at nurse's station when infant's breathing stopped in hospital room; electroencephalograph helmet to diagnose hearing defects in children; powered prosthetic hand; portable light indicator for blind persons; ear oximeter to measure oxygen content of blood by noting red and infrared light absorption; analyzer to record intensity of sleep; and computer motion pictures that projected three-dimensional image of heart areas for study by physicians. Items used in industry included compound to prevent fogging of lenses; low-voltage switching circuits; fire-retardant or non-flammable foams, paints, fabrics, and glass fiber laminates; rapid-scan infrared tire tester; land-surveying system using laser and telescope that viewed laser pulse above obstructions; and management system developed by NASA to supply daily updated information in Apollo program. (NASA Release 72-132)
U.S. Patent No. 3 675 026 was issued to International Business Machines Corp. scientist Jerry M. Woodall for solar cell that turned about 18% of sun's light into power with output one and one half times that of commercially available solar cells. New York Times later said NASA had expressed great interest in cell, which required less shielding against radiation and could operate at higher temperatures than silicon cells. (Pat Off PIO; Jones, NYT, 7/8/72, 31)
New York Times editorial commented on geophysical warfare-"act or acts of environmental engineering designed to change the flow of air and water in order to damage one side in a conflict and benefit the other": Revelation that U.S. had used rainmaking techniques for military purposes in Indochina had placed problem on world's agenda for international discussion. "Even those who may feel that dropping rain on an enemy is better than dropping bombs must realize that rainmaking is only the first step. Once accepted as a normal military technique, geophysical warfare may some day be capable of drowning vast continental coastal areas, turning fruitful areas into deserts and even perhaps ultimately of radically rearranging the entire world climate." It was "imperative that environmental engineering be placed under some kind of international control." (NYT, 7/4/11)
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