Unfortunately, it often takes a tragedy to wake people up to new dangers and find ways to avoid them.

So it was with the fire that took lives of the crew of Apollo 1. During the long and painstaking investigation that followed, NASA found that there were far too many flammable materials in the capsule which contributed to the blaze. One major culprit was the very seats astronauts sat in.

The cushioning was made of a flammable type of polyurethane. However there were no other materials that were as supportive and, just as importantly, lightweight.

So, to meet the exacting weight requirements without adding to the already dangerous business of space travel, NASA researchers developed a special coating for the seat cushions. The outer shell of the cushions in NASA's new seat consisted of a fire-retardant fabric that added little to the weight, yet could withstand extremely high temperatures and exposure to naked flame.

So not only is your seat useful as a floatation device, it also blocks fire, and combined with Temper Foam above it can absorb a tremendous amount of impact.

That's a lot of space technology packed into a two-foot square that you sit on.