Apollo Anniversary
Apollo’s 40th Anniversaryis this month. What a remarkable thing! Space travel doesn’t make headlines as it did in days past, but it is still just as exciting. The latest mission to space is underway and it makes me think about the products that are available because of the scientific advances of NASA, one in particular.
NASA needed a material that would cushion the astronauts from the unparalleled g-forces of launch and re-entry during space missions. In response the their request, a material was produced, that was called visco-elastic memory foam. There is no definition for the word visco, but the word is derived from viscous, which means gummy or pasty. Elastic means being able to return to it’s original shape after being deformed. You all remember the picture of the hand impression on the foam. If the material was pushing up against your body, it would immediately spring back when your hand was removed. The other quality, of visco foam, is that it’s temperature reactive. When it is heated, it becomes softer and when it is cooled, it becomes firmer. A body laying on the material will heat it, making it softer under that heated area.
This material made it transition to mattresses. It was revolutionary! A person is able to get the support they want with out worrying about the pressure created on the body by inner-spring mattresses.
The catch is it is made from petroleum and the odor is strong. It takes a few days at the least and a month or more at the most to get that smell out of your home. Also petroleum is a fossil fuel, which means there is a limited amount of it on the Earth.
Dr. Sass, inventor of the Somina Sleep System, did not like these two points and others. In response, he improved the design and modified it to be designed for sleep - not for rocketing through space. First he replaced the main ingrediant in the foam. Replacing petrol-oil with soybean oil solves two problems. Itf is a renewable source - meaning it is not harming to planet to make AND it does not have the odor!
Another improvement is the recovery time. With traditional visco-elastic memory foam products, the time it takes for the foam to bounce back is a while. With Somina products, you will not be left with a void when you roll over during the night. The original material is temperature reactive. So, in the winter it will take longer for the mattress to form to you and in the summer, it will provide less support. The improved Somina foam is not like that!
On this Apollo anniversary, take a minute to look up at the stars and thank the men and women who dedicate their lives to the mission. We all reep the benefits of the science behind it. Then order a Somina Contour Pillow and feel the difference design makes.