Swiss Textile Invention in Space

Question by a researcher

Is it true that a seemingly small Swiss invention played a major role in the beginnings of space travel?

An astronaut posing in space with the Earth in the background. There is probably a bit of Velcro fastener attached somewhere on his suit.
Astronaut in Space. Photo: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center 2014, flickr, CC-BY-NC

Before NASA successfully launched its first Apollo missions, an important question was how to make sure that the astronauts could walk in the spacecraft in zero gravity and how to enable them to quickly get in and out of their space suits. The solution was the hook and loop fastener system, invented and patented by the Swiss scientist George de Mestral.

Interestingly enough, de Mestral never had astronauts or space in mind when he came up with this new technology. During his frequent walks with his dog, de Mestral was time and again annoyed by burdock seeds stubbornly clinging to his dog’s fur. Because his curiosity as a scientist took over, de Mestral was convinced that this mechanism could be used for other purposes. After years of research, he found the right combination of textile hooks and loops and in 1954, he patented his invention under the name “Velcro”, a blend of the French words “velours” (velvet) and “crochet” (hook).

De Mestral considered his bionic invention as a revolutionary innovation for the clothing industry. However, because the first manufactured fasteners weren’t exactly stylish, the fashion business largely ignored them. The breakthrough still happened a couple of years later, when NASA recognized Velcro’s ability to perform as reliable in space as no other type of fastener.

During his lifetime, de Mestral came up with many other inventions. However, none of them ever reached the success of his Velcro system, an invention so popular that “Velcro” has since become a generic expression for any fastener of this kind.

Today, de Mestral’s Velcro system is an essential element in everyday life, whether as an easy fastener on children’s shoes, as an adhesive tape to hang wall art without having to damage the walls with nails, or simply to keep wayward cords or wires nicely in place. And it’s still used in space…

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Letzte Änderung 10.08.2018

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