To aid its supporting companies in creating "clean rooms" in which sensitive space equipment is assembled, NASA spearheaded extensive contamination control research. Private industry used the data to create advanced apparel for use in clean room facilities. One garment is a non-woven material capable of blocking 99 percent of all particulate matter from humans. The technology is useful in contamination-sensitive industries such as medical and computer product manufacturers.
Some NASA instruments are so sensitive that they can detect faint signals coming from a distance of billions of light years. Others can detect and adjust to the most minute changes in positioning or spacecraft orientation. To keep these and other hyper-sensitive instruments pristine before launch, the agency makes extensive use of clean rooms, which ensures no dust particles, microorganisms, gasses, or other contaminants catch a ride into space — where they could interfere with data collection or the operation of the spacecraft.
Learn more about how NASA helped develop technology that impacts clean room apparel within your city's medical environment!