The Apollo 11 mission blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:32 AM on July 16, 20169. On board were Lieutenant Colonel Michael Collins, Colonel Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Commander Neil Armstrong. On July 20th, Apollo 11 began to orbit the Moon. Armstrong and Aldrin went through a crawlway to the Eagle, the landing module to begin their descent. At 10:56:20 pm, US EST, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the Moon saying “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” But the leap in technology had already arrived before the giant Saturn rocket has blast off four days earlier.
Software designed to manage a complex series of systems onboard the capsules is an ancestor to the software that today is used in retail credit card swipe devices. Race car drivers and firefighters today use liquid-cooled garments based on on the devices created for Apollo astronauts to wear under their spacesuits. The freeze-dried foods developed for Apollo astronauts to eat in space are used today in military field rations, known as MREs, and as part of survival gear.
Two years after Apollo 11, NASA created the Innovative Partnerships Program has connected NASA resources to private industry. For an interesting list of NASA spin-off technologies, check out this link.
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