Ben LawsonForty-five years after Neil Armstrong took a giant leap for mankind, General Electric has taken a small step — into shoe design.
The company announced Thursday it will sell commemorative sneakers, dubbed The Missions, designed with some of the same materials that were used in Armstrong's boot when he made that famous footprint on the moon. (Via Twitter / @generalelectric)
The shoes will represent GE's role in developing materials that the Apollo 11 astronauts wore during the first moon landing. The sneakers have parts made from carbon fiber commonly used in jet engines and a waterproof coating similar to materials that prevent ice from forming on wind turbines.
The shoes will only be available from online retailer JackThreads and they go on sale at the exact same time Armstrong took that first step out of Apollo 11 — 4:18 p.m. July 20. To commemorate the year, they are priced at $196.90.
Only 100 people will have the chance to buy a pair, so they will likely go very quickly. But a writer for Fast Company likely won't be jumping in line.
He argues the sneakers look more like the shoes worn by Mercury 7 astronauts ten years earlier than what was worn on the Apollo 11 mission.
Whether they more closely resemble Mercury 7 or Apollo 11, the sole will still feature that same same ridged pattern that can be seen in the lunar boot print to this day.
