Apollo 11 Astronauts Wore Bras?!

Well not exactly bras but according to THIS Boing Boing article, the Moon surface going suits of Apollo 11 were engineered by International Latex Corporation in Dover, Delaware.  The specs for the suits were a bit daunting.  They had to maintain an oxygen  pressure of about 3.75 pounds per square inch, and still have enough flexibility to move and carry out the work that they needed to do while on the moon's surface.

ILC it seems was no stranger to rubber garments.  They designed and manufactured Playtex bras and girdles.  Even the joints needed at the shoulders, elbows, knees, hips and ankles were designed with bellows type design that allowed the astronauts to move with relatively little effort.

Also from the article:

•  Steel aircraft cables were used throughout the suit to absorb tension forces and help maintain its shape under pressure.  

All in all, a truly advanced design even by today's standards. Check out the pic of Neil Armstrong's suit.

A Posthumous Happy Birthday to Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012)

     Although he passed away last year, let's take a moment to remember Neil Armstrong on what would have been his 83rd birthday.   Everyone knows Armstrong's part in what is arguably humanity's greatest achievement.  Earlier, he was the command pilot of Gemini 8, which "suffered the first critical in-space system failure of a U.S. spacecraft which threatened the lives of the astronauts."  Armstrong represents all that is great in humanity and the hope that the future will hold many giant leaps for mankind.

So to my fellow Ohioan, Happy Birthday.