Was the 'heart pacemaker' a 'space spinoff'?

Question -- most space-spinoffs seem to be mythical, how about these

claims from a nice Jim Voss school speech, including pacemakers

and Velcro?



"Most astronauts don't bring anything back to earth except knowledge, Voss
said, and a lot of technology, including Velcro, the pacemaker and a
computer all came from the space program."

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"Jim Oberg" wrote in message ...
Question -- most space-spinoffs seem to be mythical, how about these
claims from a nice Jim Voss school speech, including pacemakers
and Velcro?
"Most astronauts don't bring anything back to earth except knowledge, Voss
said, and a lot of technology, including Velcro, the pacemaker and a
computer all came from the space program."

Good question.

Everyone knows about the velcro canard (enchainee?), although I have
no doubt that the significant purchases of velcro by NASA helped to
provide some of the initial capital for the industry to grow to the
point today where it's effectively ubiquitous. (Same thing for
photocopiers. Huge demand for documentation drove R&D, and NASA
helped to pay for some of the early advances that have given us the
machines we have today.)

The pacemaker one triggered a bell in the back of my brain, so I went
to my space library and came up with some heart-related references:

Programmable Pacemaker
Technology - NASA-developed technologies involve space
microminiaturization, bidirectional telemetry for space
communications, and longer life batteries for spacecraft electric
power systems.
Commercial Use - System consists of the implant and a physician's
computer console containing the rogramming and a data printer.
Communicates through wireless telemetry signals.
KSC Publication DE-TPO
Spinoff 1996

Implantable Heart Pump
NASA's expertise in tiny yet highly reliable pumps may provide an
alternative to the large, external eart pumps used by patients
awaiting a heart transplant. JSC has comnbined forces with the Baylor
College of Medecine and famed heart surgeon Dr. Michael Debakey to
make use of the center's expertise in developing the Ventricular
Assist Device. The new generation of heart pump already is undergoing
implant tests in animals and, if they continue to go well, a first
human implant may come soon. The pump would allow critical heart
patients a much more convenient alternative to the heart pumps
currently in use.
FS-1995-08-004JSC

Heart Monitor
NASA developed advanced electrodes used for monitoring the hearts of
space shuttle astronauts was exclusively licensed to Q-Med Inc. for
use in their Monitor One ambulatory heart monitor. [A guy at work has
one, or something similar, subsequent to a heart attack]
Spinoff 1985

Cardiac Monitor
NASA & UMinn research into impedance cardiography as a means of
astronaut monitoring measures impedance changes across the thorax
electronically, reflective of cardiac function and blood flow from the
heart's left ventricle into the aorta.
Spinoff 1996

Cardiac Monitoring
The Bio-Z.com [.com=cardiac output monitor] noninvasive hemodynamic
monitoring system uses Impedance Cardiography (see above) to calculate
12 hemodynamic parameters, replacing pulmonary artery catheterization.
Developed with JSC SBIR grant. The machine looks an awful lot like
the one they had at the doctor's office when I took a stress test
before my Zero-G flight.
Spinoff 2001

I'm sure more stuff can be found online.

While NASA may not have developed the pacemaker, their research has
certainly helped to advance the state of the art in medical heart
technology. I don't think I'd begrudge Mr. Voss's nutshell example.

Jim O-

Velcro was not a space spin-off. The guy who "invented" the idea did so when
he took notice of the incredible sticking power of some kind of weed seed to
his socks. I think Feynman told this story in one of his books. Now, the
trade name of Velcro probably did make a hit in the space program... even
though it is taboo in large quantities due to its flammability.


As for pacemakers... not really sure but I will do some checking.

Computers were being conceived long before we went to space and they weren't
thinking about them for that reason.

Kevin


"Jim Oberg" wrote in message
...
Question -- most space-spinoffs seem to be mythical, how about these

claims from a nice Jim Voss school speech, including pacemakers

and Velcro?



"Most astronauts don't bring anything back to earth except knowledge, Voss
said, and a lot of technology, including Velcro, the pacemaker and a
computer all came from the space program."


http://www.oanow.com/servlet/Satelli...OAN_BasicArtic
le&c=MGArticle&cid=1031778660589&path=!frontpage

"K. Collier" :

Jim O-

Velcro was not a space spin-off. The guy who "invented" the idea did so
when
he took notice of the incredible sticking power of some kind of weed seed
to
his socks. I think Feynman told this story in one of his books. Now, the
trade name of Velcro probably did make a hit in the space program... even
though it is taboo in large quantities due to its flammability.


As for pacemakers... not really sure but I will do some checking.

Computers were being conceived long before we went to space and they
weren't
thinking about them for that reason.

Seems to me that you have not been following the thread. Earlier messages
did not claim that NASA invented Velcro, but rather that NASA wanted it
enough to pay the seller the amount of money that the development was basicly
paid off by them.

Same for computers. The first computers using transistors and chips were so
expensive that development was a major gamble. NASA acted as an anchor
market, paying enough money for the product that the suppliers at the time
were willing to try and build the machines.

Earl Colby Pottinger

--
I make public email sent to me! Hydrogen Peroxide Rockets, OpenBeos,
SerialTransfer 3.0, RAMDISK, BoatBuilding, DIY TabletPC. What happened to
the time? http://webhome.idirect.com/~earlcp

"Earl Colby Pottinger" wrote in message
...
"K. Collier" :

Jim O-

Velcro was not a space spin-off. The guy who "invented" the idea did so
when
he took notice of the incredible sticking power of some kind of weed
seed
to
his socks. I think Feynman told this story in one of his books. Now, the
trade name of Velcro probably did make a hit in the space program...
even
though it is taboo in large quantities due to its flammability.


As for pacemakers... not really sure but I will do some checking.

Computers were being conceived long before we went to space and they
weren't
thinking about them for that reason.

Seems to me that you have not been following the thread. Earlier messages
did not claim that NASA invented Velcro, but rather that NASA wanted it
enough to pay the seller the amount of money that the development was
basicly
paid off by them.

Same for computers. The first computers using transistors and chips were
so
expensive that development was a major gamble. NASA acted as an anchor
market, paying enough money for the product that the suppliers at the time
were willing to try and build the machines.

If I remember correctly: the Apollo board computer was the first completely
Integrated Circuit based computer. There were other computers that used IC's
at that time but most of them used magnetic core memory and transistors in
additon to IC's.

Henk Boonsma wrote:

If I remember correctly: the Apollo board computer was the first completely
Integrated Circuit based computer. There were other computers that used IC's
at that time but most of them used magnetic core memory and transistors in
additon to IC's.

Minuteman II guidance computer.

Computers using transistors came in well before NASA ramped up for Apollo.

Paul

Thanks Earl -
Whether I was commenting directly or indirectly doesn't matter. I think my
comments (though late) were in the park with respect to the conversation at
hand.

Kevin

"Earl Colby Pottinger" wrote in message
...
"K. Collier" :

Jim O-

Velcro was not a space spin-off. The guy who "invented" the idea did so
when
he took notice of the incredible sticking power of some kind of weed
seed
to
his socks. I think Feynman told this story in one of his books. Now, the
trade name of Velcro probably did make a hit in the space program...
even
though it is taboo in large quantities due to its flammability.


As for pacemakers... not really sure but I will do some checking.

Computers were being conceived long before we went to space and they
weren't
thinking about them for that reason.

Seems to me that you have not been following the thread. Earlier messages
did not claim that NASA invented Velcro, but rather that NASA wanted it
enough to pay the seller the amount of money that the development was
basicly
paid off by them.

Same for computers. The first computers using transistors and chips were
so
expensive that development was a major gamble. NASA acted as an anchor
market, paying enough money for the product that the suppliers at the time
were willing to try and build the machines.

Earl Colby Pottinger

--
I make public email sent to me! Hydrogen Peroxide Rockets, OpenBeos,
SerialTransfer 3.0, RAMDISK, BoatBuilding, DIY TabletPC. What happened to
the time? http://webhome.idirect.com/~earlcp

Jim Oberg wrote:
Question -- most space-spinoffs seem to be mythical, how about these

claims from a nice Jim Voss school speech, including pacemakers

and Velcro?

"Most astronauts don't bring anything back to earth except knowledge, Voss
said, and a lot of technology, including Velcro, the pacemaker and a
computer all came from the space program."

Probably mythical too.

The latest Ventrical Assist Devices probably count as real, bonafide
spin offs though. They actually went to NASA and asked the pump experts
there.

In article ,
Paul F. Dietz wrote:
If I remember correctly: the Apollo board computer was the first completely
Integrated Circuit based computer...

Minuteman II guidance computer.

Didn't actually happen until slightly but significantly later than the
Apollo prototypes. The first couple of prototypes of the Apollo guidance
computer contained most of the world's ICs at the time. MIT (on behalf of
NASA) was placing large production orders, and working with the suppliers
to get reliability up, at a time when everybody else was still playing
with samples and wondering whether they should commit to using these
new-fangled gadgets.
--
"Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend." | Henry Spencer
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