Cordless power tools
The first cordless power tool was unveiled by Black & Decker in 1961. In the mid-1960s, Martin Marietta Corp. contracted with Black & Decker to design tools for NASA.
The tool company developed a zero-impact wrench for the Gemini project that spun bolts in zero gravity without spinning the astronaut. Black & Decker also designed a cordless rotary hammer drill for the Apollo program to extract samples from the moon’s surface.
As a result of this work, Black & Decker created several spinoffs, including cordless, lightweight, battery-powered precision medical instruments and a cordless miniature vacuum cleaner called the Dustbuster. However, cordless power tools predate the space agency’s involvement with the company.
Bar codes
NASA developed a special type of bar code for inventory of space-shuttle and other space-system components that could endure harsh environments, but this should not be mistaken for the original bar code.
Quartz clocks
The first quartz clock dates back to 1927. However, in the late 1960s, NASA partnered with a company to make a highly accurate quartz clock. This clock was on the market for a few years, but it is no longer available.
Smoke detectors
NASA’s connection to the modern smoke detector is that it made one with adjustable sensitivity as part of the Skylab project. The device was made commercially available by Honeywell. The consumer could use it to avoid “nuisance” alarms while cooking. Like the quartz clock, this device is no longer available.
Source: NASA
