What’s the Buzz? Moonwalking in the Space Sneaker

On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission’s lunar module carrying astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. touched down on the surface of the moon.
Over the next six hours the pair checked the lander’s systems, ate a meal of four bacon squares, three sugar cookies, peaches, pineapple-grapefruit drink and coffee, and rested. Then at 10:39:33 pm EDT, Armstrong popped the hatch, climbed down the lander’s ladder and uttered one of history’s most famous sentences into his mouthpiece: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”



Top Image: Buzz Aldrin is wearing The Missions sneakers.

He made that leap in boots made from a special silicon rubber developed by GE. (The company also supplied the Apollo missions with other technology. See here.)

GE, which is at its core a materials science and engineering company, decided to celebrate the 45^th anniversary of the first manned moon landing by launching a limited edition of a moon boot sneaker called The Missions. The company also invited Aldrin to take over GE’s SnapChat account on Wednesday and talk about his trip to the moon and back.



Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. Credit: NASA



They were wearing boots from a silicon rubber developed by GE. Image Credit: NASA

GE worked on the sneaker with the shoe maker Android Homme and the website JackThreads. The sneaker has parts made from lightweight carbon fiber used for jet engine components and sports a hydrophobic coating similar to materials that prevent ice from forming on wind turbine blades.



The moon boot sneaker will go on sale at JackThreads.com on Sunday, July 20th at 4:18 pm, the time the Apollo 11 lunar module arrived on the moon. Only 100 pairs will be sold, priced at $196.90, to commemorate the anniversary.

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The Missions sneaker goes on sale on Sunday.