Daily Times

“This small human step is a huge jump for humanity,” these are the words of astronaut and aeronautical engineer Neil Armstrong that point to the successes in the world of science and technology that were obtained in the form of a man landing on the moon for the first time, 50 years ago, in July 1969.

The arrival of the man on the moon was a milestone that also left lasting effects on our daily life.

According to today’s Apollo programme worth $200 billion, it has opened the path of development in many areas, which we did not know anything about.

Here are some of them.

CLEANLINESS AWARENESS — wireless devices were made before the Apollo programme, which came to form these devices through this programme we see today. For example, the appliance maker Black & Decker made its first such drill machine in 1961 with no wire. The same company made a special drill machine for American space agency NASA to collect soil samples in space. Black & Decker introduced many new home appliances using the expertise and knowledge obtained from this drill machine, in which the world’s first manual vacuum cleaner, DustBuster, came in 1979. More than 15 million units of DustBuster were sold in 30 years.

BETTER USE OF TIME — the most accurate time was necessary to land on the moon because the difference between less than a second could have become a problem of life and death in space. Therefore, it was not surprising that NASA wanted the watches to show extraordinary timing for this mission. As a result, such modern quartz watches were made, which caused a difference less than a minute in one year.

But interestingly, for the better use of time, the reputation came to conventional mechanical wristwatches that were worn on Nail Armstrong and his fellow Buzz Aldrin Apollo mission.

CLEAN WATER SUPPLY — Apollo Mission Water purification technology is used to eliminate bacteria, viruses, and moss in water reservoirs, etc. in many ways today. For this purpose, the Apollo mission had used the method of water purification using silver ions, without the chlorine. Now, this method is being used to clean swimming pools and water wells/fountains around the world.

SPACE DRESS AND LASTING SHOES — astronauts are still using suites on the design of the Apollo mission space of 1965. Apollo mission whose main purpose was the protection of astronomers during the walk on the moon. But this technology also made major progress for the modern industry of shoemaking. As a result, in the past few decades, many types of flexible and shock bearing athletic shoes are marketed.

FIRE SAFETY CLOTHES — in 1967, three astrologers were killed by a fire during a training mission in Apollo, after which the whole programme was under crisis. But as a result, NASA developed a fire safety cloth that is now used too much on the ground. Similarly, during the Apollo mission, a cooling system for astronomers is now being used in many patients, including those who suffer from multiple-pulse fluorescence (MS), even keeping horses calm.

Black & Decker introduced many new home appliances using the expertise and knowledge obtained from the drill machine, in which the world’s first manual vacuum cleaner, DustBuster, came in 1979. More than 15 million units of DustBuster were sold in 30 years

NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR HEART TREATMENT — pacemaker device which is applied to patients whose heart is a dangerously irregular heartbeat. This device was also based on NASA’s mini circuit technology. Contrary to the large default defibrillator used in hospitals, the pacemaker is such a small defibrillator that is installed inside the human body and they look at the heartbeat and they turn on a shock for a normal heartbeat. The first pacemaker was used in 1980.

NEW TYPES OF FOODS — contrary to short space missions, from 1961 to 1966, Apollo’s mission was to be in space for the 13 days. To reach the moon, NASA had to lighten the aircraft and to use minimal space. As per this requirement of savings, food was also investigated during the Apollo mission. The solution was to get freshly cooked food at a very low temperature and then was dried and packed. It was only to add hot water in food to eat. This diet has also proved true for Neil Armstrong and later not only convenient for the climbers and camping but also very affordable.

LIFESAVING SPECIFIC BLANKET — the space blanket was used to save the Apollo moon’s vehicle from the heat of the sun, which was used by the bright shiner blanket. Due to the same blanket, the moon’s vehicle used to be wrapped in a kitchen fuel. That was the beginning of the lifesaving blankets that show us common today. These special blankets, plastic, film and aluminium-based on NASA technology, are commonly used in any emergency and work to keep the body temperature safe. These blankets are used in various marathon competitions and hospitals.

The writer is a freelancer and a graduate of Punjab University. She works at the Federal Board of Revenue and be reached at canwal.22@gmail.com