GM’s Space Contributions

It’s time to revisit history – not the history of the automotive industry, but the history of space exploration. During the 1960s, GM was a major contributor to NASA’s Apollo moon program, and since we sell GM vehicles we thought it might be relevant to talk about GM’s technological advancements in space exploration.

GM’s AC Electronics Division developed the inertial guidance and navigation systems for NASA and GM’s Delco Electronics Division developed the Lunar Roving Vehicle. Both were pivotal pieces to the success of the Apollo program.

The Lunar Roving Vehicle was able to carry 1080 payload; it only weighed 457 pounds and was foldable to make transporting it easier.

For those who don’t know, inertial guidance was the first navigation system that did not rely on signals or landmarks. It had to be a self-reliant system as the spacecraft would eventually lose touch with NASA’s Mission Control Center once behind the moon.