We hear about such chemistry-related inventions NASA was involved in during the 1960s and 1970s: Mylar blankets, lithium hydroxide to absorb carbon dioxide, silicate anticorrosion coatings, memory foam, scratch-resistant coatings for lenses, spectroscopic water-quality monitoring, special rubber for tires, antifogging spray for optics, non-flammable cloth, and special tiles for spacecraft re-entry. We learn a bit of how they were made or invented, and why.

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