In July 1969, the Apollo mission transmitted Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon to millions around the world. Which famous company provided the entire communication equipment for the project?
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1$\begingroup$ Do you ask for video equipment or voice transmission? $\endgroup$– UweMar 26, 2019 at 13:46
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2$\begingroup$ Lots of them, there was a whole chain of systems involved. Are you looking for a particular company? $\endgroup$– HobbesMar 26, 2019 at 13:48
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6$\begingroup$ Specifying 'which famous company did X' makes this feel like a trivia question. If you have the answer, drop it in and let us vote/edit/discuss. If not, put your edits in the question. $\endgroup$– SaibooguMar 26, 2019 at 14:34
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2$\begingroup$ Famous is irrelevant to the question $\endgroup$– user10509Mar 26, 2019 at 14:57
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1$\begingroup$ @JanDoggen Only Willman can tell us what he really intends to ask. If famous was not relevant, why did he say it? We don't know. $\endgroup$– SaibooguMar 26, 2019 at 16:48
3 Answers
I have a partial answer to your question. A few years back, I had a tour of the headphone company Plantronics and learned that they provided the headsets for the Apollo and Mercury programs. From the Wikipedia page on the company:
The use of these SPENCOMM-NASA headsets in astronaut space suits continued through the remainder of the Mercury program, the Apollo program and on to this day. The words spoken by U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong as he stepped on the moon were transmitted through a Plantronics headset.
- Motorola built the transponder on the LEM
- Collins built the S-band receivers for the DSN ground stations
I think the answer lies in this-
Forty five years ago, Motorola products transmitted astronaut Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon to millions around the world.
From One Giant Step for Motorola 45 Years Ago:
On 20 July 1969, our products transmitted a scene from the moon that was heard and seen by millions of people around the world: Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon and announced “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
This momentous event was the result of years of Motorola’s innovation dedicated to the United States space program. Beginning with the Explorer I satellite in 1958, Motorola provided technology to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to help enable communications and data transmission, and improve safety. In 1969, Apollo 11 was the first planned lunar landing mission and Motorolans worked closely with NASA to ensure the program was a success.
Aboard Apollo’s lunar excursion module (LEM), a Motorola transceiver sent radio signals to three Earth-based receiving stations, where Motorola FM-band demodulators converted them for radio and television broadcast.
In addition, Motorola supplied thousands of semiconductor devices, ground-based tracking and checkout equipment, and 12 on-board tracking and communications units. An “up-data link” in the Apollo’s command module received signals from Earth to relay to other on-board systems. The transponder aboard the Apollo 11 lunar module transmitted telemetry, tracking, voice communications and television signals between Earth and the moon.
Motorola is a famous or more heard of company now apart from others.
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1$\begingroup$ Could you tell us what information at the link is relevant to the qeustion? Link only answers aren't popular on this site. We would like answers to stand on their own if the link goes dead. $\endgroup$ Mar 26, 2019 at 18:52
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I've added more of the article because I think many will find it interesting and very specific. $\endgroup$– uhohMar 27, 2019 at 14:00 -