Surprising NASA trivia that will blow your mind

Founded in 1958, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has since evolved into a highly respected institution, driving numerous advancements in modern society.

With over 60 years of operations, NASA has amassed a treasure trove of fascinating stories. Let's dive into some of the most intriguing ones!

NASA has a special department dedicated to protecting potential life on other planets. What will they do if they find inhabitants? That's classified information.

In August 2012, Curiosity successfully reached Mars. However, this achievement did not sit well with three Yemeni gentlemen who claimed Mars as their inheritance from their ancestors. They sued NASA, but their claim was dismissed, and they didn't receive a single penny.

Photo: Pexels - Rodnae Productions

In 2006, NASA admitted to mistakenly recording over the original tapes of the Moon landing. Fortunately, CBS had also recorded them, allowing duplicates to be made.

Photo: Unsplash - NASA

Want to know when the International Space Station is passing over you? NASA can send you a notification by SMS, but you'll need a powerful telescope to see it.

The space shuttle is so out of date that NASA had to buy replacement parts on eBay.

Photo: Unsplash - Nina Mercado

Did you know that NASA uses the film 'Armageddon' (1998) as a training tool for future astronomers? After watching the film, they are tasked with identifying its scientific inaccuracies.

In 1979, Skylab re-entered Earth and ended up crashing in Australia. Australian authorities fined NASA $400 for dumping garbage in the country. It took more than 30 years to pay off.

Photo: Unsplash - Alexander Mils

NASA's advancements extend beyond aeronautics, impacting everyday life through their stellar R&D team. Innovations like anti-scratch glasses, the joystick, and even baby formula have origins rooted in NASA technologies – just a glimpse into their wide-ranging contributions.

Bill Nye, famous for popularizing science and making it more accessible. However, he faced rejection when he applied to become an astronaut with NASA and had to take a different direction with his career.

The Vehicle Assembly Building is so vast that it has its own climate. To prevent Florida's humidity from forming rain clouds near the roof, it employs a massive air conditioning system.

Photo: NASA

One of the most famous water guns in history was invented by Lonnie Johnson, who had previously been a NASA scientist.

If the expedition is short, the astronauts use diapers called MAG. If it is longer, they have special bathrooms that work in zero gravity and are like vacuum cleaners that suck up everything that is floating in the environment.

Photo: NASA

The ZIP code for the Kennedy Space Center and surrounding areas is 321, simulating a countdown.

Photo: NASA

In 1999, the Mars Climate Orbiter crashed on Mars because NASA technicians forgot to convert navigation data from the metric system to imperial. That is, from kilometers to miles.

Photo: Pexels - Matheus Bertelli