Don Nolan-Proxmire
Headquarters, Washington, DC                        May 4, 1998
(Phone:  202/358-1983)


NOTE TO EDITORS:  N98-30


NASA TEMPER FOAM IS A SPINOFF SUCCESS


     NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin will receive the one 
millionth pillow produced by Tempur-Pedic Inc. on Wednesday, May 
6, at 5 pm EDT in the NASA Headquarters Auditorium, 300 E Street, 
SW, Washington, DC.  

     The pillow, made from a foam material developed by NASA 
researchers to cushion pilots against the rigors of test flight, 
will be presented by Tempur-Pedic's CEO, Robert Trussell.  The 
Lexington, KY, companyÕs pillows, mattresses and other products 
are used to treat disorders ranging from sleeplessness to pressure 
ulcers, commonly known as bedsores.

     Temper Foam, a visco-elastic, body-temperature reactive 
material which returns to its original form even after 
compression, was first developed by NASA's Ames Research Center, 
Moffett Field, CA, for use in Space Shuttle seating and to protect 
airline passengers in crashes.  The material was recently inducted 
into the United States Space Foundation's Space Technology Hall of 
Fame, Colorado Springs, CO.


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