Apollo 11 Mission Moon Landing (www.nasa.gov).

On today, which marks the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, by the U.S. Apollo 11 mission astronauts including Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., the world can reflect on all of the contributions the NASA Space Program has offered to the red-hot field of Green technology.  A list of five major areas has been compiled where space exploration has enabled various Green elements of society. They are ranked from one through five based on the overall nature of the impact of the related applications associated with each category. The categories are somewhat arbitrary and the applications are by no means a comprehensive list; however, many of the well-known linkages have been identified. 

First and foremost, Environmental and Resource Management deals with the advancements in solar energy, which have been generated for various space and satellite applications that now are leading to significant power production plans globally, especially in the U.S. in lieu of increased legislative support at the federal and state level. Over the years since the first moon landing, solar panels have been a highly visible symbol associated with the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope. In terms of environmental regulations, space research has helped improve the sustainability of the planet via the creation of advanced satellite systems that are used in monitoring the ozone layer, global warming, and deforestation.

1. Environmental and Resource Management: Solar Energy - NASA pioneered photovoltaic solar power systems for spacecraft applications. Solar energy technology has been developed for space programs to expand terrestrial applications, including satellites where no other suitable long-lasting energy source available; Forest Management - NASA-initiated satellite scanning system monitors and maps forestation by detecting radiation reflected and emitted from trees; Sensors for Environmental Control - NASA development of an instrument for use in space life support research led to commercial development of a system to monitor an industrial process stream to assure that water's pH level and air pollution level is within environmental regulations; Oil Spill Control - The concept was invented by Petrol Rem, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Penn. Also, Marshall Space Flight Center and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory helped to design the tiny beeswax balls (microcapsules).

2. Consumer/Home/Recreation: Water Purification Systems - NASA-developed municipal-size water treatment system for developing nations, entitled Regenerable Biocide Delivery Unit, using iodine rather than chlorine to kill bacteria; Pool Purification - space technology designed to sterilize water on spacecraft was applied to swimming pool purification leading to a system that uses two silver-copper alloy electrodes that generate silver and copper ions when an electric current passes through them to annihilate bacteria and algae without chemicals; Home Insulation - NASA-derived Barrier to Radiation designed to reflect away 95 percent of the sun's radiant energy from spacecraft leading to significant savings in home heating and cooling costs; Home Smoke Detector - NASA needed a smoke and fire detector for Skylab, which was America's first space station. Honeywell, Inc. developed the unit for NASA. 

Second, as a near number one, the Consumer/Home/Recreation category focuses on numerous home and consumer benefits that can be attributed to the space program including water and pool purification systems, which are obvious significant factors for the improvement in the quality of life and the effective utilization of natural resources. Home insulation and smoke detectors are key elements of Green building design, which were developed for obvious reasons for NASA spacecraft in dealing with extreme temperature fluctuations in space and various types of radiation. 

3. Transportation- Weight-reduction technology - NASA research on composite materials used to achieve a 30 percent weight reduction in a twin-turbine helicopter, resulting in substantial increase in commercial and military aircraft performance; Enhanced Aircraft Engine - Multiple NASA developed technological advancements resulted in a cleaner and more economical commercial aircraft engine known as the high bypass turbofan, featuring a 10 percent reduction in fuel consumption, lower noise levels and emission reductions for carbon compounds; Energy Storage Systems - flywheel energy storage system, derived from two NASA-sponsored energy storage studies, is a chemical-free, mechanical battery that extracts energy of a rapidly spinning wheel and stores it as electricity with ~50 times the capacity of a lead-acid battery, helping enable electric vehicles.

Transportation ranks number three including key spin-off developments from space research such as weight-reduction and subsequent fuel efficiency initiatives for commercial aircraft to improve the cost, flexibility, and availability of global travel as well as numerous advanced military aircraft capable of sophisticated tactical maneuvers and carrying heavier cargo. In addition, battery enhancements have been derived from these efforts enabling improvements in electric automobiles. 

4. Computer technology: Structural Analysis - NASA program, originally created for Green design and controls, has been employed in a broad array of non-aerospace applications, such as the automobile industry, manufacture of machine tools, and hardware designs; Air Quality Monitors - utilizing a NASA-developed, advanced analytical technique software package, an air quality monitor system was created for separating the various gases in bulk exhaust streams and determining the amount of specific gases present within the stream for compliance with emissions standards; Virtual Reality - NASA-developed research allows a user, with assistance from advanced technology devices, to figuratively project oneself into a computer-generated environment, matching the user's head motion, enabling a telepresence experience and simulations for Green building design. 

How can anyone not recognize the simplicity of computer systems from the Apollo 11 mission footage or those shown in the movie Apollo 13 versus today's standards? A plethora of software programs for aerodynamic designs in addition to virtual reality systems, including simulators for applications such as the operation of power plants, thermal mapping of cities for Green building design, and large-scale city-wide water and energy usage. 

5. Industrial Regulation: Advanced Lubricants - An environmental-friendly lubricant designed to support the Space Shuttle Mobile Launcher Platform led to the development of three commercial lubricants for railroad track maintenance, electric power company corrosion prevention, and as a hydraulic fluid with an oxidation life of 10,000 hours; Fossil fuel vapor recovery and emissions testing - the process of recovering and monitoring the vapors of gasoline or other fuels, so that they do not escape into the atmosphere was a critical element for space launch vehicles to ensure the lack of leaks and accurate fuel levels for mission success. 

Industrial regulation, as a whole, even though there is some overlap with other categories, is a clear number five in terms of overall significance. Many niche applications may be attributed to NASA initiatives including the development of advanced materials and testing for high performance conditions in space which have been transferred to the commercial level such as lubricants, automobile and industrial emissions reductions and analysis for minimizing the effect on global warming.

The timing of this anniversary is quite remarkable in the recent passing of Walter Cronkite who was involved the first news broadcast associated with the moon landing.  It would be interesting to hear comments from viewers concerning additional Green technology spin-offs from the last 40 years of space exploration since the Apollo 11 mission moon landing.  Moreover, it will be an exciting next 40 years of innovation once NASA decides on the replacement vehicle for the space shuttle, which will be discontinued in 2010.

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For more info: See reference site www.nasa.gov