For years, Tempur-Pedic® has been a household name—often recalling the famous wine glass test, where a glass of red wine sits on an original TEMPUR® mattress. Showcasing Tempur-Pedic’s superior motion cancellation, a sleeper jumps repeatedly on the mattress… but the wine does not spill.

However, did you know that Tempur-Pedic’s history actually began with NASA scientists during the height of the space race? Our own VP of Brand Management, Jill Johnson, and leader of New Product Development, Allen Platek, recently sat down with the Space4U editorial team to discuss our surprising origin story and ongoing research into the science of sleep.

In the 1960s, NASA scientists began to develop a new material to reduce the effects of G-Forces on astronauts’ bodies as they were launched into (and returned from) space. They successfully created a viscoelastic material—or a “slow spring-back foam”. Decades later, when NASA released their formula to the public, Swedish scientists took this space-age foam and perfected it for sleep. They called it TEMPUR-Material™.

A few years later, in the early 90s, our company’s founder, Bobby Trussell, traveled to Europe in search of champion racehorses but discovered something entirely different. After visiting Sweden and sleeping on a mattress with an unusual overlay, he began to believe in the transformative magic of TEMPUR-Material™. He loved it so much that he brought it home in the form of a neck pillow and mattress topper. And now, more than 25 years later, millions of people have experienced the life-changing power of Tempur-Pedic® sleep.

Throughout the years, we’ve continued to innovate and improve on this original formula—even responding to studies showing that a cooler sleep environment helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. In fact, we approach climate research relating to sleep innovation the same way experts approach space exploration—through scientific methods and experimentation. In Allen’s words, “We don’t leave it to chance. And, I believe we’re the only people in the industry that are approaching sleep science this way.”

That’s why our latest innovation, the TEMPUR-breeze°, is our most-awarded and best-rated mattress collection yet. With premium cooling technologies that allow heat and humidity to be cycled out of the mattress, you’re able to sleep more deeply and wake up feeling refreshed.

The Space4U podcast is a collection of casual conversations with industry professionals, discussing the latest scientific innovations and explorations beyond our atmosphere. The podcast celebrates people all around the globe who are working together to make us smarter about space.

To listen to the full podcast, click here.