http://technology.nasa.gov/Hybrid_Listing.cfm?x=0.439241777566
Current Nasa Tech in the Marketplace.
Oh and Pc's are small and powerful because of the initial push by Nasa. The Tech companies took it from there.
http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html
A specific example:
The LEM needed a huge computer bank (64K!) in a very small package for flight. Nobody else wanted it, but NASA pushed for it. This was a huge accomplishment.
The new spacecraft being developed is issuing more challenges along those lines, despite being labeled a "throwback" by the uninformed.
The U.S.A needs Nasa to exist as much as it needs the UAW to exist.