It's All Thanks to NASA

By Sophie Hecht from the Space Foam^TM team

What do many mattresses, running sneakers, and Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famers have in common? They’ve used something called memory foam for decades. Mattress companies started using memory foam in their products to make them sturdy, but still comfortable. Sneaker companies, like Adidas and New Balance, use memory foam in their shoes to provide more support. The Dallas Cowboys? They added memory foam to their helmets in the 1970’s to absorb the shock of a tackle and to protect the players’ heads.

Memory foam is made out of a substance with viscoelastic properties, which means it is both highly energy absorbent and soft. In response to heat and pressure, memory foam molds to the body. Once you remove the pressure, it returns to its original shape. But where does this revolutionary material originate? The credit is given to Charles Yost, who created the special medium to help build a recovery system for the Apollo command module in 1962. Four years later, NASA contacted the Systems Dynamics Group at North American Aviation, where Yost worked, to help improve aircraft seating by making it crash and vibration protected. By using memory foam in their seats, NASA not only made their aircrafts safer, but they added comfort and cushion for longer trips due to an even distribution of body weight and pressure over the entire contact area.

We have taken NASA’s comprehensive element to a completely different industry: the pillow world. Memory foam in pillows adds support to your head and neck more than a regular feather pillow. This ensures that your spine remains aligned and you are less likely to wake up with back pain. The material also relieves pain causing pressure points by distributing the weight. Memory foam cradles your body at every point so you feel supported and relaxed.  Space Foam^TM pillows, the newest innovation in memory foam, are made with a patented lightweight design which recovers quickly. This ensures your pillow is always comfortable. Our foam also has air chambers which allow for great breathability, which is important for promoting airflow that will keep your pillow cool throughout the night.

At Space Foam^TM, it’s our mission to provide better sleep for mankind. It’s not rocket science to know who to thank: NASA.