MOON LANDING – TECHNOLOGY THEN AND NOW

It has been 40 years since the historic Moon Landing on July 20, 1969 when 500 million people watched a live broadcast of Apollo 11 to see Neil Armstrong step off the “Eagle” onto the moon’s surface, and say “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

The inspiration provided by that goal is credited for laying the groundwork for a host of technologies that society depends on today. Consider the integrated circuit, commonly referred to as a computer chip. The Apollo Guidance Computer used for the Apollo program was the largest single consumer of integrated circuits between 1961 and 1965. NASA did not invent it, but did play a major role in making the integrated computer chip commercially viable in addition to encouraging the push toward the development of the personal computer, and sowing the seeds of the Internet.

The technologies that helped Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins reach the moon spurred the development of such products as wireless headsets, freeze-dried foods, cordless vacuum cleaners and bicycle helmets. They also used a digital technology to map the lunar surface that Estee Lauder later used to study high resolution images of human skin to design cosmetics. Whether you’re looking through a telescope, or looking through a microscope, the technology is the same.

Consider that 40 years ago computers were thought to be little more than “giant room-sized machines that were extremely large and power-hungry.” That image changed when NASA built a worldwide computer network to maintain communications with the astronauts. Microprocessors gained wide acceptance when they were introduced in the 1970s changing the perception of computing, proving that a computer could do something in the real world instead of a data-processing center.

In the 40 years since Bill Taylor and I watched the moon landing, NASA-related technology has come down to earth with hundreds of everyday products developed or modified using aerospace research from baby formula to swimsuits. The first things people think about are Tang, Teflon and Velcro. Actually none of these originated with the space program. Tang was developed in 1957 and John Glenn drank it while in orbit in 1962, upping its visibility and linking it to the space program. Teflon used for some heat shields and spacesuits, and Velcro used to keep equipment from floating around, have a role in the space program but originated well before NASA. However there are plenty of items widely in use with ties to the space program such as Global Communications and GPS systems, baby formula, scratch resistance lens for glasses, athletic fabrics and improved weather forecasting. Robotic tools on the space vehicles lead to artificial limbs, and the scanning system used by the astronauts lead to MRI, CAT SCAN and Ultra Sound machines.

Technology has advanced through the merits of the NASA Space Program from 40 years ago to more wireless applications in communications, laptop computers, GPS systems, digital imaging, and even better swimsuits and fabrics. I wonder what technology advancements we will see in the next 40 years as the NASA program continues and perhaps someday goes even further to travel to distant planets such as Mars.

Mary Couch’s conversation with Bill Taylor