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Here’s an interesting article I pulled up from Slashdot. Unbeknownst to me, NASA is beginning to outsource its R&D to anyone who’s interested in a nice little weekend project. Contest winner Peter Homer, a former aerospace engineer, beat out two other rival teams by developing a more effective “glove that can be used by astronauts over long periods of time in space or on the surface of the moon, Mars or other planetary body. NASA wants a new glove that is easier for astronauts to work in, as well as lighter-weight, stronger and more durable than gloves currently in use.” Interestingly enough, Homer built the entire glove from materials he had at home and the rest from materials he purchased on ebay. The contest was part of new initiative to solve “technical problems with low-cost, innovative solutions.”
This reminds me of the following joke:
When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 Billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300C.
The Russians used a pencil.
