15 Things In Our Life That Wouldn't Have Existed Without Apollo 11 Moon Landing

Fifty years ago to the day, Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin stepped out onto the surface of the Moon for the first time.

And though that was NASA's greatest achievement, the mission also bore fruit in other ways.

(L-R) NEIL A. ARMSTRONG, MICHAEL COLLINS, AND EDWIN E. ALDRIN JR. - NASA

A lot of the technology NASA used for that fateful Apollo 11 mission was later modified and repurposed for other things, many of which we still use today.

So here are 15 things we benefited from thanks to man's first trip to the Moon

1. CAT scanner

CAT scanners are used across the world, especially when it comes to detecting tumours. It using a combination of X-rays and a computer to build a cross-sectional view of the body. However this is a more refined form of a device first used during the Apollo 11 mission to find imperfections in space components.

2. Computer microchip

The Apollo Guidance Computer wasn't actually a computer the way we know it. Instead it was a system of about 5,600 electronic gates in an integrated circuit, with 64KB of memory and operated at 0.043MHz. It was enough to send the Apollo Mission to the Moon though, and it later formed the basis of the modern day microchip.

3. Cordless tools

Your power drill, your handheld vacuum cleaner, even your beard trimmer. All of these were made possible by technology used by NASA to let the astronauts drill for lunar samples

4. Ear thermometer

The digital ear thermometer is actually a step up from traditional mercury thermometers. For one, the thing can't break and release toxic fluid. For another, it's easier to use on squirming kids. And it came from an infrared camera technology originally used to monitor the birth of stars.

5. Freeze-dried food

This packing technology let the astronauts on board the Apollo 11 (and astronauts today as well) carry food without having to worry about the extra weight or whether it would spoil.

6. Invisible braces

Materials like transparent ceramic used in early spacecraft were later repurposed commercially for use in braces that were practically invisible, so you could get through puberty with one less embarrassment.

7. Insulation

The same reflective material used to protect early spacecraft from cosmic radiation is used today in homes across the world as insulation

8. Joystick

The joystick was a stable of home video game systems in the 1990s. It's also used to some extent today in flight simulators. But the device was originally developed to control the Apollo Lunar Rover.

9. Memory foam

Memory foam is great for your back, and is used in a lot of high-quality mattresses and aircraft seats among other things. But on the Apollo 11, it was used to pack the astronauts' helmets for shock absorption.

10. Shoe insoles

Space boots on the Apollo 11 used shoe insoles to lessen the impact on the feet of astronauts who expected to be jumping around on the Moon. Shoe companies later tweaked them for athletic uses.

11. Scratch resistant lenses

The reason you have spectacle and hard contact lenses today that don't scratch so easily is because they're coated with a material first used to coat astronauts' spacesuit visors.

12. Smoke detector

The smoke detectors in your homes and offices were first developed by NASA with varying sensitivity levels, so they could prevent fire false alarms on board their rockets.

13. Swimsuit

NASA used the same principles that reduce drag in space in order to help Speedo build the world's fastest swimsuit, which some say even gave swimmers an unfair advantage.

14. Water filter

The water filter in your home probably uses a technique pioneered by NASA in order to kill bacteria in the recycled water on board their spacecraft.

15. Shock absorbing shoe sole

Our jogging and running sneakers would've been far more comfortable to use, if sneaker company Avia hadn't developed their patented "compression chamber midsole" in 1990 with the help of a NASA Apollo mission engineer. And the rest as they say is footwear history!