Interstellar "eaters", cosmic version of baby "diapers"... How does space travel "fly" to ordinary people's homes?

Aerospace technology is an important manifestation of a country's scientific and technological level and comprehensive national strength. Its development has not only promoted the progress of space exploration, but also promoted the advancement of many high-tech technologies. The application of these technologies has penetrated into our daily lives and has made a significant improvement to our food, clothing, housing and transportation.

Interstellar Gourmet: Exploring the Secret Recipe of Instant Noodles

In terms of food, instant noodles are a very common food in our lives. They are simple and convenient to eat, and taste good. However, instant noodles cannot only contain noodles. Various ingredients and condiments are also indispensable, including dehydrated vegetable packs. We all know that ordinary vegetables are difficult to keep fresh, and we may not be able to eat seasonal vegetables because they are out of season. However, these problems are easily solved in front of dehydrated vegetables. These wrinkled dried vegetables only need to be soaked in water and wait for a while before eating. The nutrition and flavor can be well preserved.

Dehydrated vegetables actually originated from the Apollo moon landing program. NASA invented the freeze-dehydrated vegetable technology to allow astronauts to eat vegetables and supplement vitamins in space. This technology can remove most of the water in vegetables while retaining nutrients and greatly reducing weight, making it easier to store and carry for a long time.

Dehydrated vegetable production workshop

In addition to the dehydration technology, some other aerospace technologies are also involved in the production process of instant noodles. For example, soup stock extraction technology, freeze-drying technology and rapid prototyping technology also come from the aerospace field. These technologies can better lock in the nutrients of vegetables and meat, further improving the health properties of instant food products and maximizing the restoration of the original taste of the ingredients.

Guardian angels: How airbags can be a safety shield for older people

When it comes to clothes, they are not only the decoration of our appearance, but also the guardian of our body. As the elderly get older, their physical functions become worse and worse, which makes them prone to falling. Wearable smart protective airbags are designed to solve this problem.

Wearable smart protective airbags are derived from aerospace technology. The development process involves precise circuit wiring, carefully selected motion sensors, fine programming of processor chips, and the collection, processing and algorithm verification of fall data. In order to capture every detail of the fall, the development team members repeatedly conducted simulated fall tests in the laboratory, with up to 50 to 60 falls per day, just to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the technology in practical applications.

This protective airbag has a vest-like shape and weighs only about 1 kilogram. It can monitor and automatically sense the body's dynamics in real time, and quickly inflate before detecting a fall, providing timely buffering protection for the main force-bearing part - the hip. The inflation mechanism of this airbag can effectively absorb up to 90% of the impact force, significantly reducing the risk of injury caused by falls.

In addition, the inflation module of this airbag is designed to be replaceable, and the airbag can be reused, which is both economical and environmentally friendly. Today, this high-tech product has stepped out of the laboratory and entered the market, becoming a safe companion in the daily life of thousands of elderly people in households.

Earthquake-resistant heroes: The building protection power of rubber isolation bearings

When it comes to housing, traditional earthquake-resistant technology focuses on tightly integrating the building's superstructure with the foundation, using thicker steel bars and more concrete to enhance the overall firmness. Practice has shown that simply increasing the amount of material used to improve a building's earthquake resistance is not as ideal as expected.

Buildings damaged by the earthquake

The emergence of rubber seismic isolation bearings has improved this problem. Its design inspiration comes from the aerospace field, especially the flexible nozzle technology of rocket engines. This technology achieves a "soft connection" with the ground by adding a seismic isolation layer between the upper structure of the building and the foundation and installing rubber seismic isolation bearings. When an earthquake occurs on the ground, the seismic isolation bearings can swing back and forth with the seismic waves, and the top of the building can be stably supported, thereby effectively reducing the acceleration response of the upper structure of the building and reducing the damage to the building caused by the earthquake. Through this technology, about 80% of the energy of the earthquake can be offset.

Rubber isolation bearing

In addition, rubber seismic isolation bearings also have good durability and fatigue resistance, with a design life of 60 to 70 years, and some can even exceed this design life. The installation and construction of this technology is not complicated and is suitable for new or existing buildings. Therefore, it has been widely used in high-intensity earthquake areas and post-earthquake reconstruction projects.

Baby's comfortable universe: baby diapers and aerospace technology

Newborns also enjoy the benefits of aerospace technology. As daily necessities for babies, diapers are closely related to aerospace technology. Initially, diapers were invented to solve the problem of urination for astronauts in space. In the weightless environment of space, traditional toileting methods cannot be used. Therefore, in the 1980s, Tang Xinyuan, a Chinese engineer at NASA, used polymer absorbent materials to invent a diaper that can absorb 1,400 ml of water. This diaper can quickly absorb astronauts' urine and fix it to prevent leakage. When my country's space hero Yang Liwei entered space in 2003, he wore such a diaper.

This material not only has strong water absorption capacity, but also can keep water inside the material without seeping back, so it was quickly applied to civilian products and evolved into the baby diapers we know today. The emergence of diapers has greatly facilitated parents, reduced the burden of washing diapers, and provided a cleaner and more comfortable environment for babies.

Mother changing diaper for baby

Future Manufacturing: Friction Stir Welding Opens a New Era in Industry

In industry, friction stir welding is an efficient and environmentally friendly welding technology developed in the aerospace field. The technology was invented by the Welding Institute in the UK in 1991. It uses a combination of friction heat and mechanical stirring to heat and plasticize the material through a rotating welding tool to achieve material connection without the use of solder or consumables.

Friction stir welding

The advantage of this technology is that the material does not melt during the welding process, avoiding defects such as pores and cracks that may occur in traditional fusion welding, thereby improving the quality and performance of the welded joint. In addition, stir friction welding has a lower heat input, which can reduce welding deformation and improve production efficiency.

In terms of transportation, the application scope of stir friction welding technology has expanded from the aerospace field to multiple industrial fields such as rail transportation, ships, automobiles, power electronics, etc. In the automotive industry, stir friction welding is used to manufacture electric vehicle parts due to its lightweight, high efficiency and environmental protection characteristics, which helps to improve fuel economy and driving range.

In the future, the friction stir welding technology is expected to develop further. Through the application of robot friction stir welding technology, the automated welding of more complex structural parts can be realized, and the production efficiency and welding quality can be improved. At the same time, the friction stir welding technology also has great potential and broad application prospects in the development of new materials and new processes.

The development of aerospace technology has made a significant contribution to improving people's quality of life. With the continuous advancement and innovation of aerospace technology, I believe that more and more industries will be inseparable from aerospace technology in the future, and the sustainable development of human society will receive strong support.

Some information comes from Guangming.com, Xinhuanet, People's Daily Online, Science Popularization China, etc.

(Scientific review: Li Liang, member of the Science Popularization and Education Committee of the Chinese Space Society)