"The Space Age"

I was just watching a few minutes of a tv show where they show how things are made, appropriately titled "How It's Made". This episode was showing the construction of hearses, fun I know. Anyway, the voice-over woman said the side panels were constructed from carbon fiber and "space age" materials. This left me to wonder, what exactly, makes this material "space age". Is the term being used a little too loosely? Unless hearses are getting their parts from Nasa, I hardly think it's appropriate to call special order parts from Canadian Tire, "space age". Unless it's really advanced stuff that makes the hearse invisible, travel through time, and/or survive re-entry after zipping around the galaxy, I hardly see the need. If two guys in some wood shed are bolting it on, it's probably not cutting edge.

Haven't we been in the "space age" for a couple of decades at least? Couldn't I call anything "space age" if that's the case? "I love my new car! I opted for the 6 cd changer and the space age ipod charger, and the space age heated seats. It costs a little more, but I'm worth it."