n2o-PiMpSoNs, thats really cool about the fabric invention.
And thats one of the things people are missing about NASA, most of the stuff they do is not in going out into space and studying different planets. The stuff that has come out of NASA, invention wise, is really quite amazing.
QUOTE(Random Website I Found)
I was amazed at the breadth of the technological applications of some of the inventions. They ranged from athletic footwear to water filters to sewage purification using hyacinths; from special swimsuits that resist drag to keyboards for the handicapped to a g-force protection bed; from dichroic glass used in jewelry to ergonomic seats; from urban planning to body scanning diagnostics. X-ray technology developed for the lunar probes and mars landers are now used in the hospitals for diagnostic imaging, and ocular scanners are a direct by-product of lunar imaging systems. Infrared satellites are also being used remotely for archaeological purposes on Earth. There was also mention of the development of a self-healing computer that NASA engineers ironically dubbed HAL-2, named after the autonomous computer in Space Odyssey 2001 who murdered his own crew of astronauts! You'll have to read the book yourself to see that this is by no means an exhaustive list!
This is a list of some of the things they have come up with.
Who really cares about mars, NASA developes next generation stuff faster than most businesses.