From Space to Sleep: The Foam That Started It All

You’re probably familiar with the famous wine glass test where a person jumps on their TEMPUR® mattress, and the glass of red wine doesn’t spill a drop. What you might not know is that the foam underneath the glass has roots in a NASA lab.

In the late 1960s, NASA scientists were tasked with developing a new material that could absorb the G-force astronauts experienced when traveling into space. They successfully created a viscoelastic material (or “slow spring-back foam”) filled with billions of open cells — each one sensitive to weight, shape, and temperature.

Throughout the 70s, this new “Temper” technology was used to cushion pilots and astronauts during test flights and aboard their space shuttles. It wasn’t until the end of the 80s that Swedish developers enhanced the foam’s formula for broader purposes. Not long after, in 1991, our founder, Bobby Trussell, discovered it during a business trip to Sweden.  He realized that this space-age material could do more than protect astronauts — it could transform sleep. And so, Bobby brought this new technology to the United States, and in 1992 the first Tempur-Pedic® mattress was sold.

So, What Makes TEMPUR-Material® Different?

TEMPUR-Material® is not ordinary memory foam. Its open cellular structure adapts immediately and precisely to your weight, shape, and temperature, giving you support and pressure relief at the same time.

Basic memory foam is no match for TEMPUR® technology. Standard memory foam has a habit of sinking wherever your weight rests. In theory, that sounds nice, but in practice it can leave you feeling stuck in place. It can also harden uncomfortably in cooler rooms and trap body heat in warmer ones.

Inside the TEMPUR-Material® Toolbox

We know that not every sleeper sleeps the same. That’s why we built a toolbox of materials — all designed to deliver the support, feel, and experience every kind of sleeper needs.

Every Tempur-Pedic® mattress starts with two core layers:

• Comfort Layer: The top layer of your mattress, made from TEMPUR-Material®. This is the layer that determines the feel, whether soft, medium, or firm.
• Support Layer: The layer below, built from a proprietary TEMPUR-Material® formulation that’s designed to distribute your body weight evenly across the mattress.

Within those two layers, we offer five primary foam variations, each engineered for a different kind of sleeper.

Original TEMPUR®

The NASA-rooted formula, perfected by us for sleep. As iconic as it is comfortable.

Advanced Relief® Material

Engineered with more molecular cells per inch, so it adapts even more precisely to the contours of your body.

Ventilated Advanced Relief® Material

Our most pressure-relieving foam ever, paired with an ultra-breathable design for added airflow.

Pure Cool®

An exclusive cooling foam designed to pull heat away from your body so you can sleep cooler, longer.

Pure Cool® Plus

A lighter, more breathable version of Pure Cool® with thinner capsule walls, delivering more cooling power per cubic foot than our previous technology. Exclusive to our TEMPUR-LuxeBreeze® Collection.

Concluding Thoughts

TEMPUR-Material® remains the foundation of every Tempur-Pedic® mattress we make. Every layer, collection, and cooling innovation we built since traces back to our NASA-derived material.

That's the difference between sleeping on a mattress and sleeping on a Tempur-Pedic®. So, whether you're a hot sleeper, a side sleeper, or somewhere in between, there's a foam in our toolbox designed for your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is TEMPUR-Material?

TEMPUR-Material® is the foundation of every Tempur-Pedic® product, designed to adapt to your body’s unique weight, shape, and temperature.

What makes TEMPUR-Material different?

TEMPUR-Material is derived from a viscoelastic foam developed by NASA and later perfected by us for sleep. It’s designed to provide exceptional support and pressure relief all night long.

What kinds of specialty TEMPUR-Material®s exist?

Along with Original TEMPUR-Material®, we developed Advanced Relief® Material, Ventilated Advanced Relief® Material, Pure Cool®, and Pure Cool® Plus materials.

A Note from Tempur-Pedic®: We love sharing tips to help you achieve better sleep. While we strive to provide objective, industry-standard insights, we also design and manufacture products to address specific sleep challenges.
Features and materials vary by model and collection. Performance claims are based on internal material design and testing.