Stadiums, malls, and other public buildings around the world feature white roof fabrics made possible by NASA technology developed for use in Apollo spacesuits. Structures made from this moisture-resistant fiberglass material—stronger than steel but weighing only five ounces per square foot—are energy efficient, immune to pollutants and ultraviolet rays, and are translucent enough for natural-grass playing fields.
During an Apollo 1 test exercise, tragedy struck when a fire ignited and spread through the command module, resulting in the deaths of the astronaut crew. In the wake of the incident, NASA engineers redesigned much of the mission hardware to improve safety, including the development of new spacesuits. The suit fabric was made by twisting ultrafine glass filaments into yarns, which were then woven into a fabric and coated with teflon. The spacesuits were used by astronauts through both the Apollo and Skylab programs.