Buzz Aldrin looking like a total badassHow did space travel ever go out of fashion? Back in the 60s, astronauts were every kid's hero--superstars who made magazine covers, hung out at the White House and drove their free Ford Mustangs full of groupies up and down Cocoa Beach. Today, you'd be hard pressed to name even one. But it's not really their fault, it's the sunglasses. Today's standard-issue space specs are horrifically modern, with lightweight alloy, screw-less frames to ensure nothing comes loose in space and blah blah blah. They probably cost a million dollars a pair, but look like Specsavers' premier range. Back in the Apollo era, by contrast, NASA pretty much just took the most badass sunglasses around and said, "Here, wear these."The specs in question are now known as the Original Pilot Sunglass®. Developed byAmerican Opticalfor the U.S. Air Force, they were originally designated Flight Goggle 58, and engineered to rigid military specifications. The company got its start in high-tech materials in 1913, after buying the rights to special UV glass developed by British chemist and physicist Sir William Crookes. It supplied eyeglasses to American troops during the First World War, and later branched out into bombsights, precision optics, and WWII aviator goggles like the Type B-6 and Type B-7, which came in a choice of green, amber, smoke, and clear lenses. In the sky, Flight Goggle 58 became a favorite with pilots thanks to its "rugged and sturdy structure, high quality finishing, and distortion-free, toughened and polished True Color® glass lens." In space, they helped shield the astronauts' eyes from the extra-bright glare of the sun--free from the protective shielding of our atmosphere, the UV rays shining in through the Apollo spacecraft's triangular windows could seriously damage the eyes. They also made the Apollo astronauts look like total dudes. Today, you can see the actual sunglasses (above) worn in space by Apollo 11 Command Module pilot Michael Collins at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, or buy your own for around 50 dollars. Space stylists take note: American Optical stills makes them—and their cousin, the classic rounded aviator—at its complex in Southbridge, Massachusetts. CHRIS HATHERILL, co-director ofsuper/collider
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