One small step for man, one giant leap for the undergarment industry?

We've just discovered perhaps one of the most fun facts in the history of the space program: The book Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo (MIT Press) reveals that the outfits worn by first men on the moon Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were made by none other than...Playtex!

The bra manufacturer was the underdog, to say the least, against a slew of military-industrial companies competing for the contract to design the spacesuits for the Apollo 11 mission. "Anticipating the space age, the International Latex Corporation (ILC), known by its consumer brand 'Playtex ,' conducted basic research on adapting its latex expertise to pressurized suits," the book explains. "Initially ignored, its research gained it center stage in Apollo suit manufacture after startling advances in mobility and comfort." Eventually, they created the A7L, which was comprised of 21 soft layers--a stark contrast to the other hopefuls' hard suits--and won the contract. "The spacesuit worn on the moon was not developed from military-industrial expertise, but rather adapted proficiency in underwear," the book reports. And even cooler? The suits themselves were sewn by assembly line seamstresses from Playtex.

How awesome is that!? We don't know about you, but we'll never look at a bra in quite the same way again...

Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty