Infographic: NASA's Great Effect on Tech

NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands beside solar wind experiment on the moon.

NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands beside solar wind experiment on the moon. NASA

Studies estimate that for every federal dollar spent on NASA, the economy is boosted by as much as $14.

NASA has a funding problem.

The agency's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel warned in its 2013 annual report that “insufficient funding results in either extended schedule or lower performance."

The panel said the funding gap could result in “higher failure risk through improper or insufficient testing.”

Aside from safety concerns, NASA funding is a boon in other ways.

Studies have estimated that for every federal dollar spent on NASA, the economy is boosted by $7-$14. NASA boosts the economy through technology spinoffs, including when the space agency develops a technology and sells the license for commercial use, enhances an existing technology, or contracts a company to develop technologies with potential commercial use.

Check out the infographic below to see some of the innovations that wouldn't exist without NASA's help: