‘Without you, Tom, we wouldn't have gotten to the moon.’ - President Nixon
Artemis is powered by solar. But half a century ago things were a bit different.
Apollo 11, which landed the first man on the moon used alkaline fuel cells, developed by Trinity alumnus Tom Bacon. (1/2)
ALT Tom Bacon Credit: Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Cambridge University / Keystone Pictures. Cambridge’s Chemical Engineering Department noted this event, when the photo above was taken:
Aug. 24, 1959 – Cambridge, England, U.K. – A demonstration was held this morning of the Hydrox Fuel Cell, the invitation of Mr. Thomas Bacon, sponsored by the National Research Development Corporation, an invention which is expected to revolutionise the field of electricity. Mr. Bacon has been working on his idea since 1932. The cell does not store electricity, it makes it by chemical conversion.