These days we are celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the landing of Apollo 11 and the first steps on the moon. Air Products, an industrial gases provider based in the US, played a supporting role during that first mission on July 16, 1969. Air Products was present when Apollo 11 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the company provided hundreds of thousands of tons of industrial gases to support the launch and mission. These gases were also vital to the lunar landing which enabled the first steps on the moon.

Air Products has an ongoing association with NASA and is proud of the support role they played for the Apollo 11 mission. Evidence of this collaboration is found in company archives, including a letter from NASA’s Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight at the time, George E. Mueller to Air Products’ Founder and Chairman at the time, Leonard Pool, dated September 17, 1969.

The company’s working relationship with NASA began in 1957. It has included supplying liquid hydrogen and other industrial gases for advancing the U.S. Space Program from Orion, the Space Shuttle, Apollo and even earlier Mercury missions. In addition to product supply to the space launches, Air Products also has had a long-term relationship with NASA’s engine testing program at Stennis Space Center in MS, Johnson Space Center in TX, as well as Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.

Several of Air Products’ industrial gas facilities were built in key locations originally and specifically to support space program efforts. Some of the locations included: Painesville, OH (1957), West Palm Beach, FL (1959), Long Beach, CA (1963), two plants in New Orleans, LA (1966, 1977), and Pace, FL (1994).

Today, space travel remains a key business for Air Products. The Industrial Gases supplier is also heavily involved in supporting ongoing and increasing number of space launches and missions of several independent companies.