More than 400,000 Americans helped make the Apollo 11 mission a success, including thousands of Western Pennsylvanians, according to the Senator John Heinz History Center.

The region’s participation in the moon mission reflects “our tradition of innovation” said Emily Ruby, a center curator. Among those participants were:

MSA of Cranberry Township invented a canister that provided astronauts with an emergency oxygen supply and one that absorbed excess carbon dioxide as well as a filtration system that prevented the spread of any Earth contaminants to the moon.

Westinghouse Electric Co. created the special cameras used to film the iconic video footage of the Moon landing, which was seen by a worldwide television audience of millions.

The Union Switch & Signal Co. supplied key relays for the Apollo Lunar Module.

Pittsburgh native Jack Kinzler invented the Lunar Flag Assembly that made the famous U.S. flag “fly” on the windless moon.

Alcoa supplied more than a million pounds of the specialty aluminum alloy 2219 for the Saturn V rocket, and aluminum also was used in the lander’s hatch.

Pressure Chemical Co. developed ablative material squeezed into each of the honeycombed pods on the module’s exterior.

Three-B Optical Co. of Gibsonia developed the Schmidt optics for the camera.

North American Rockwell designed and built components of the transporters. These two original transporters, heavily refurbished, are still used by NASA today

U. S. Steel contributed to creation of the Apollo 11 command module, which has an outer structure made in part of steel.

Blaw-Knox Steel Co. of Blawnox built three 85-foot antenna stations.

PPG Industries made glass for the command and service modules.

Personnel

Astronauts from the area include Mike Fincke of Pittsburgh, who joined NASA in 1996 and was on the International Space Station’s Expedition 9, and Stephen Frick of Gibsonia, who also joined NASA in 1996 and flew missions on the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2002 and 2008.

James Irwin of Pittsburgh joined NASA in 1966 and was on the support crew for Apollo 10 and explored the moon’s surface on Apollo 15.

Terry Hart of Pittsburgh, became an astronaut candidate in 1978 and flew mission STS-41-C on the Challenger.

Warren “Woody” Hoburg of Pittsburgh was chosen by NASA to begin two years of astronaut training in 2017.

Apollo to Moon Twp

To celebrate the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, firefighters from Apollo, Armstrong County, dressed as astronauts and traveled to Moon Township to collect soil. That soil is on display at the history center.

“I think for the 50th anniversary, they should go to Mars,” Ruby said.

New exhibit

On July 20, the history center will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing with a new exhibit gallery at the center, 1212 Smallman St., Pittsburgh.

The gallery, within the Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation, will include artifacts and activities showcasing the region’s contributions to the space program. Among the items are memorabilia and personal papers from Dr. Jerome (Jay) Apt, an astronaut and educator who grew up in Pittsburgh.

A Smithsonian Channel documentary film screening of “The Day We Walked on the Moon” will be presented at 2 p.m. followed by a question and answer session with a history center curator.

The center’s virtual exhibit “Pittsburgh Goes to the Moon” will join exhibits from NASA and other agencies and groups on Google Arts & Culture platform as part of “A Giant Leap for Mankind.”