@Mojo what you are talking about would fall into the category of simple sciences, things that most people think we know why, but don't. this kind of research, while yes, its under funded, is also something that almost always just creates an academic understanding, not changing how anything works or is made.
most breakthroughs come from need, memory foam is one of those, another being teflon.
as for nasa, there is a big issue with government vs private,
government is get it done oriented, which if you want something done is great, because you will get the funding needed
private is profit driven, and when you need things to get optimized, this is the way to go because if there is a better way to do something, a way to save money with no cost in quality, this is where it will come from.
The bad part is private research has no need to be published, and can just be lost if the company decides a patent is not worth pursuing.