You can Thank the Moon Landing for your Sneakers (and these 4 other technologies)
The first moon landing in July 1969, might not have ushered in the “Space Age” in the way that John F. Kennedy was hoping for, but it did usher in the “Age of Technology”, which we all benefit from. Here are five technologies you may not have known were developed from technologies used in the Apollo missions.
1. Integrated Circuit: Precursor to Microchips
This one is major for the digital age we all live in. Prior to the creation of integrated circuits by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments, computers required large rooms to hold all the processing equipment needed to run their systems. After the integrated circuit was created, computers could be housed in much smaller areas, saving precious space and weight on the Apollo missions. Today, microchips power all our favorite technologies: Laptops, cell phones, navigation systems in our cars, and so much more.
2. Precise medication doses
Equipment used to control the flow of propellants into the engines of the Saturn Moonbooster was turned into the Programmable Implantable Medication System by Parker Hannifin Corporation. This system delivers precise medication doses within a patients body. You may be familiar with it in the form of an Insulin Pump that many people with Type 1 Diabetes use to help manage their disease.
3. Athletic shoe soles
AVIA inc. adapted the moon boots used by the Apollo astronauts into a lightweight, foam-free mid-sole for athletic shoes to give them more bounce and ventilation. This technology has spread to all athletic shoe brands. Athletes everywhere can now play harder and faster thanks to this technology.
4. Cordless power tools
Black & Decker turned cordless tools and equipment used in the Apollo missions to drill for samples of moon material into surgical tools. These tools soon spread into home use with cordless drills, saws, and other power tools. Home improvement has never been so easy.
5. Insulated lunch bags
Whether you brought your lunch to school, or you had school lunch, at some point in your life you have come into contact with an insulated lunch bag. The shiny interior lining of these bags is made from the same material used to insulate the Apollo astronauts and their equipment from radiation as they traveled through space. This same material is used in home insulation, to muffle engine and exhaust noise, and is what “space blankets” or emergency blankets are made from (those shiny metallic sheets that are in emergency kits).
To Technology and Beyond!
Although this list has only five technologies made possible by the moon landing 50 years ago, there are countless more that play a part in your everyday life. Some technologies were invented prior to the Apollo missions but were made affordable to the rest of us by the high demand from NASA. NASA is still producing technologies that benefit the everyday lives of non-astronauts, and you can check them out at https://spinoff.nasa.gov/. Even though Kennedy wasn’t able to see the U.S. land on the moon (he was assassinated in November 1963), his push to put a man on the moon led to the development of technologies that bless the lives of millions of people every day. So, thank you, Kennedy, and thank you, Apollo missions for creating the technological age we live in.
