The Mattress Secret

NASA Origins

NASA IMAGE

After so many other interesting and amazing products have resulted from NASA and the space program, it comes as no surprise that technology as revolutionary as viscoelastic memory originated in NASA engineering. In the 1970s, while trying to create a material that would cushion and deflect the tremendous Gravitational Forces (G-Forces) that are experienced by astronauts during lift-off and re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, NASA scientists stumbled upon a break through discovery. Although still in its infancy, the initially imperfect memory material held great promise stemming from its ability to precisely conform to the shape of the user's body.

Immediately after NASA disclosed the innovative technology to the public, development began and a revolution was started. Focusing on solving the durability issues of NASA's T-Foam (the name originally given to the material), many engineers worked furiously to improve upon the initial design. And, not long after, some of the first, albeit expensive, viscoelastic memory material was used to help relieve the pain of the critically ill and bed-ridden in hospitals across America.

Relieving and preventing bedsores and providing exceptional benefits to hospital burn victims, the new mattresses were incredible. Yet, they came at a high cost: the manufacturing process was still excessively complex and costly. The result was that the material would need more work before a consumer friendly bed could be created and made available nation-wide. And, sure enough, after just a few more years (around 30 years in total since NASA had developed the material), viscoelastic temperature sensitive memory foam mattresses were introduced to the American public, first by Tempir-Pedic, and closely followed by a large number of somewhat less known competitors.

The demands of the critically ill had finally been heard ("Give me the same comfortable mattress I had in the Emergency Room in my home!"). The dream of the NASA scientists had been realized (A material that was durable, easy to manufacture, and conformed to the exact shape of your body, relieving maximum pressure and eliminating pressure points.) And now, thanks to The Mattress Secret, the rest that everyone truly deserves is at your fingertips.