Apollo product spinoffs advanced terrestrial life

FACTOID Contrary to popular belief, Tang, Velcro and Teflon were not developed for the space program.

July 13, 1999
Web posted at: 6:29 p.m. EDT (2229 GMT)

(CNN) -- Thirty years after the first landing on the moon, the research for the Apollo spaceflights continue to benefit humans on Earth. High-tech spinoffs are common in the fields of health, safety and comfort. The missions spurred major advances in emerging technologies, such as computers, which became smaller, lighter, and more efficient to meet the requirements for manned spacecraft.

Some examples of common products that use technical research from the Apollo program:

• The lunar roving vehicle was the source of a unistix controller, now used by extremely handicapped people to control automobiles on the highway. The vehicle's rubber tires, which had to perform in low temperatures, were developed for NASA by Goodyear, which used the research to create an all-weather winter radial tire for cars.

• Scratch-resistant lenses for sunglasses were developed from a highly abrasion-resistant coating that protected aerospace equipment from harsh environments, like the helmet visors worn by astronauts.

• Cordless tools such as drills and dust vacuums were derived from equipment developed for astronauts to collect surface and subsurface lunar soil samples.

• Hospital monitoring equipment, which nurses use to watch the heart rates and other physiological signs of patients, employs the technology developed to monitor astronaut vital signs during spaceflight.

• A thin, light, flexible, yet durable and non-combustible fabric developed for Apollo spacesuits furnished the technology for heavier material used for roofs on buildings like Michigan's silverdome.

• The astronauts wore lunar boots with a unique material for cushioning and ventilation. It has been modified for a popular line of athletic shoes.

• A 3M-designed, meal-heating unit developed for Apollo spacecraft crews served as the basis for an electronic food warmer.

NASA has estimated that thousands of spinoffs can be traced to the technology that landed U.S. astronauts on the moon in July 1969. Yet despite widespread belief that Tang and Velcro are among them, the popular drink and fastener are not included, according to NASA.