Playtex, the Bra People, Made the Apollo Space Suits
Upon exiting the lunar module, Armstrong and Aldrin quickly adjusted to the different gravity, bouncing around and figuring out where their center of mass was on the lunar surface. But Playtex, the company known for the ‘cross your heart’ bra, watched this bounding around with growing tension. Playtex won the NASA contract in part due to their claim that they created durable, form-fitting, and flexible clothing. But for the suit creators like Sonny Reihm, who led Playtex’s Apollo division, and Eleanor Foraker, who supervised the sewing group, watched the astronauts frolicking, the ‘play’ was Playtex used 21 layers of fabric, but watching Aldrin bouncing around the moon made for some tense moments. One trip and fall on the wrong rock could tear the suit, with disastrous results for the astronauts. losing the astronauts due to a suit malfunction would be terrible not just for NASA, but for Playtex.