Familiar Sci-Fi Faces Pitch NASA Spinoffs

By Nancy Atkinson - November 30, 2012 at 8:01 PM UTC | Site News

Spinoffs have never been the primary reason for space exploration, but as NASA has done things that have never been done before, space-derived products and technologies have been developed, producing some side benefits. Some of these little side benefits have ended up saving lives and changing life on Earth for the better.

NASA has recently released three new videos touting the benefits provided by various space 'byproducts," starring three well-known faces from sci-fi shows of the past: June "Lost in Space" Lockhart, William "Captain KirK" Shatner and Wil "Acting Ensign" Wheaton. The videos mention how science fiction has become science fact, resulting in new commercial products and services that are tangible returns on investments in space technology.

For more information, see the

NASA Spinoff website.

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com