In one of the iconic images of the 20th Century, astronaut Buzz Aldrin salutes the American flag on the Moon.

Forty years ago, as astronaut Michael Collins orbited alone above the lunar surface, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted an American flag on the Moon. It was July 20, 1969, the crowning achievement of the 8-day Apollo 11 mission, and one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of humanity. Not only was this the first time that people had set foot on the Moon, it was the first time that people had ever left the home planet to travel to another world.

During their 2-1/2 hour moonwalk, Armstrong and Aldrin planted the flag, collected rock samples, deployed scientific instruments, and unveiled a plaque with the inscription “Here men from planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”

Eight years prior, in May 1961, President John F. Kennedy had charged NASA with the responsibility of sending astronauts to the Moon and back again safely within the decade. This proclamation signaled not only an administrative dictum, but a national effort—the country was united toward a common goal of establishing U.S. preeminence in space. With that goal came the building of one of the most complex engineering feats ever carried out by people—and yet to be rivaled.

NASA’s third human space flight program, Apollo, lasted from 1961 to 1975 and included two Earth orbiting missions, two lunar orbiting missions, a lunar swing-by, and a total of six lunar landings. Apollo relied upon a three-part spacecraft: the command module, which included the crew’s quarters and flight control section; the service module for the propulsion and spacecraft support systems; and the lunar module, to take two of the crew to the lunar surface, support them on the Moon, and return them to the other two components waiting in lunar orbit. The entire Apollo spacecraft was launched atop the Saturn V rocket.

Apollo computer systems led to the automation of retail checkout systems.

Not since Apollo have people travelled beyond low Earth orbit or set foot on another celestial body. The challenge that was Apollo is still as great today as it was then, and the program heralded significant technological achievements. Most of these advances are obvious: With the success of the Apollo Program, NASA delivered great progress in the fields of rocketry and aeronautics, as well as the fields of civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering. Lesser recognized, though still known, are the Apollo Program’s contributions to telecommunications, computers, and medicine. What follows are a few of the even lesser known advances—some of the many spinoffs that came from the Apollo Program—partnerships created between NASA and industry to commercialize the technologies developed for the historic missions to the Moon.

Computers Automate Retail Transactions, Streamline Utilities

While today almost every transaction involves a computer, this was not always the case. In the 1970s, automatic checkout equipment which analyzed and tested many of the Apollo subsystems at each step of their progression from manufacture to launch, was applied to the banking and retail industries—improving the speed and accuracy of transactions, credit authorizations, and inventory control. Implementation of the NASA-developed computer programs allowed for faster, smoother, more dependable transactions between retailers and point-of-sale terminals and between banks and teller facilities. The same technology was also applied to a national credit database, where a central computer containing 10 million credit records allowed cash registers to pose credit inquiries when customers presented credit cards for payment.

Food preservation for the early Space Program led to freeze-drying technologies.

The complex checkout system was also adopted by several utility companies around the country. The system allowed the utility companies to monitor and control the generation and distribution of power throughout their networks. It also enabled operators to more quickly identify, isolate, and correct power distribution problems.

Freeze-Dried Foods Preserve Nutrients, Increase Shelf Life

Feeding the Apollo astronauts during their multi-day journeys presented a problem. Food is heavy, it spoils, and it is absolutely necessary. NASA worked with industry partners to develop freeze drying technologies. Freeze drying foods preserves nutritional value and taste, while also reducing weight and increasing shelf life. To freeze dry foods, water is extracted from freshly cooked food by dehydration—accomplished by reducing temperatures to as low as -50 °F. The food is then stored in airtight, moisture-proof containers and can last indefinitely without refrigeration. Over the years, this food storage method has proven useful in delivering meals to people in remote locations; keeping soldiers, hikers, and backpackers nourished; and providing the dehydrated fruit found in today’s cereals. It is also still employed by NASA on space shuttle missions.

Apollo-era space suit fabric proved useful for designing visually intriguing, large-scale, permanent tensile fabric roofs, like the one seen here at Chicago’s Navy Pier.

Green Buildings Employ Space Suit Textiles

The same fabric used for Apollo-era space suits has been spun off into a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly building material. Used on structures around the world, the Teflon-coated fiberglass fabric creates a permanent, tent-like roof. Less expensive than conventional roofing materials, the durable white fabric allows natural light to shine through, saving a significant amount of energy. To date, these visually stunning fabric roofs have appeared on hundreds of buildings throughout the world, including the Denver International Airport terminal, Chicago’s Navy Pier, Reliant Stadium in Houston, and Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy.

Cooling Suits Comfort Hot People

The liquid-filled, temperature-controlled tubes the astronauts wore under their space suits proved valuable for many terrestrial uses.

Another Apollo space suit technology is helping people on Earth stay comfortable in extreme situations. Underneath the bulky white exteriors of the space suits, astronauts wear a liquid-cooled undergarment. Similar to long underwear, but containing a series of temperature-controlled, liquid-filled tubes, this under layer protects astronauts from temperature fluctuations experienced during extravehicular activity. Cool suits, which kept Apollo astronauts comfortable during moonwalks, are today worn by racecar drivers, nuclear reactor technicians, shipyard workers, people with multiple sclerosis, and people with a congenital disorder known as hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, which results in a reduced ability to sweat. The same cooling garments have also been applied to physical therapy and sports rehabilitation equipment. A new generation of cool suits now also protects patients with severe light sensitivities.

Measurement and Calibration System Automates Refineries

The early Apollo computer systems helped automate oil refineries.

The computer system that provided measurements used to calibrate telemetry equipment in the Saturn launch vehicles that boosted the Apollo spacecraft was applied to a petrochemical pipeline system moving a variety of refined petroleum products across the country. The same pipes carried a variety of different products—such as kerosene, gasoline, jet fuel, and fuel oil—and the task of controlling, measuring, and monitoring the flow of all of these different chemicals was automated using computerized NASA control and communications systems.

Insulation developed for the harsh conditions of space found uses in the extreme climates of Alaska.

Insulation Protects Alaskan Pipeline

Metal-bonded polyurethane foam insulation developed for protecting Apollo-era spacecraft was also applied to the Alaskan pipeline, where its temperature controlling properties were in high demand. In order to maintain its fluidity, the oil needs to be kept at relatively high temperatures (180 °F), a tall order in the Arctic. The NASA-derived insulation solved this problem.

Lightning Detector Makes the Skies Safer

Concerns over lightning strikes near launch facilities led to a lightning detection system that is keeping commercial aircraft out of danger.

When a lightning strike temporarily knocked out the main electrical power system on a just-launched rocket—headed to the Moon and carrying astronauts—NASA began development of a lightning-detection system. Developed at Kennedy Space Center, the system detects and measures lightning strikes—a boon to both NASA missions and commercial aircraft. Prior to this technology, news of lightning was general and spread by word-of-mouth after someone had seen a strike. Now mission controllers and pilots had access to more precise information. The NASA-designed system is capable of detecting electrical charge build-up before a lightning storm even develops—allowing air traffic controllers to reroute air traffic away from trouble zones.

Heat Shield Material Protects Skyscrapers

The thermal protection coatings developed for the Apollo crew capsule can coat the steel structures of skyscrapers, helping them stand up to the intense heat of fires.

The Apollo heat shield was coated with an ablative material whose purpose was to burn and thus dissipate energy. The burned material charred to form a protective coating that blocked heat penetration beyond the outer surface. This material developed into a spinoff application in the arena of fire protection—specifically, the development of fire-retardant paints and foams for aircraft. This led to the production of the world’s first intumescent epoxy material, which expands when exposed to heat or flames and acts as an insulating barrier. It also retains its space-age ablative properties and dissipates heat through burn-off. It is now widely used on the steel support beams on America’s high-rise buildings and public structures. In a fire, the simple coating provides up to 4 hours of fire protection and helps prevent steel infrastructures from collapsing prematurely, in turn giving building occupants more time to evacuate safely.

Flame-Resistant Textiles Safeguard Firefighters, Soldiers

Fire-resistant textiles created for space suits and vehicles now protect people who work in extreme environments.

On January 27, 1967, the severity and immediacy of the danger of fire faced by astronauts was made terribly clear when a flash fire occurred in command module 012 during a launch pad test of the Apollo Saturn space vehicle being prepared for the first piloted flight, the AS-204 mission (also known as Apollo 1). Three astronauts, Lieutenant Colonel Virgil I. Grissom, a veteran of Mercury and Gemini missions; Lieutenant Colonel Edward H. White II, the astronaut who had performed the first U.S. extravehicular activity during the Gemini program; and Lieutenant Commander Roger B. Chaffee, an astronaut preparing for his first space flight, died in this tragic accident. After the Apollo 1 fire, NASA worked with private industry to develop a line of fire-resistant textiles for use in space suits and vehicles. These materials are now used in numerous firefighting, military, motor sports, and other applications.

Teflon® is a registered trademark of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.