NASTRAN, software developed to help NASA engineers perform structural analysis in the 1960s, soon became a ubiquitous software tool in industry. Still popular today, it’s been used to help design everything from airplanes and cars to nuclear reactors and Disney’s Space Mountain roller coaster.
Read more: http://spinoff.nasa.gov/database/spinoffDetail.php?this=/spinoff//hdqs/HDQS-SO-65
Image credit: iStock.com/Anton Balazh