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The spacesuit that Neil Armstrong wore when he stepped onto the moon was
constructed by a bra manufacturer in Dover, Delaware. Smithsonian
magazine tells the history of the Apollo suit:
For the suit’s creator, the International Latex
Corporation in Dover, Delaware, the toughest challenge was to contain
the pressure necessary to support life (about 3.75 pounds per square
inch of pure oxygen), while maintaining enough flexibility to afford
freedom of motion. A division of the company that manufactured Playtex
bras and girdles, ILC had engineers who understood a thing or two about
rubber garments. They invented a bellowslike joint called a convolute
out of neoprene reinforced with nylon tricot that allowed an astronaut
to bend at the shoulders, elbows, knees, hips and ankles with relatively
little effort. Steel aircraft cables were used throughout the suit to
absorb tension forces and help maintain its shape under pressure.
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