The Technological Contributions Of The Apollo 11 Mission

The technological contributions of the Apollo 11 mission

Last week he commemorated 50 years since Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins made a first trip to the moon, then announcing a great leap for humanity. And indeed, NASA’s Apollo 11 represented a scientific and technological leap, with the most advanced innovations that at that time was possible to build. Half a century later, we still use much of the technological contributions of the Apollo 11 mission, from innovations in telecommunications, medicine and climate change, even in footwear and diapers. 

The space race met in the brightest minds to promote and invest in the research, development, creation and construction of a large number of technological innovations as never before has been seen in the history of humanity. NASA on the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of the Human Aunidation Book, is recognized in a document more than 1500 technologies developed in the Apollo 11 mission and that has not only benefited humanity, but has improved the quality of life and have promoted theeconomic development.

By reviewing the 1500 technologies developed for the arrival of man to the Moon, we can find the development of satellite navigation (GPS), biomedical monitoring systems, radiographs in CT scanners (computerized axial tomography), dehydrated food, supplementsFood, igniphed costumes and cold and radiation insulating suits, sports shoes that absorb impact and resistance, disposable diapers, ophthalmological lenses proof of blows and radiation exhibitions, reinforcements in buildings and bridges to cushion the movement caused by systems,electronic systems and credit operations, are just some of the best known.

While it is true that it can be considered that ‘Apollo 11 technology is rudimentary and the comparison with our mobile phones’, as Yan Fisher, a member of Red Hat, the American multinational in charge of providing open software.

Actually, the mission team stood out for having one of the first computers with integrated circuits, the Guidance Computer Apoland 2048 words of RAM, with a processor that worked at 0.043 MHz. A feat at that time. What refers to software, the Luminary program was developed for 7 years in MAC programming language (MIT Algebraic Compiler) and needed the support of 300 people to do so. 

In terms comparable to a current device, an iPhone XS Max has up to 512 GB of storage (more than 4,000 billion bits) that are more than 134 million times more than the Apollo 11 computer, in addition, its 4 GB of RAM(34,359,738,368 bits), which has more than one million memory capacity than the AGC;and the processor is redirected at a speed hundred thousand times faster. What makes today we have in our pockets teams million times more powerful than those that lead man to the moon. NASA has launched a space program, in 2024 on a mission like Artemis.

For now, it is estimated that robotics, artificial intelligence and a great scientific research machinery and technological innovations again together with the brightest minds in the world in another great jump for humanity.