ILC Dover
ILC Dover, LP (also known as ILC) is an engineering development and manufacturing company based in Frederica, Delaware. ILC specializes in the use of high-performance flexible materials, serving the aerospace, personal protection, and pharmaceutical industries.
Best known for making space suits for NASA, ILC outfitted every United States astronaut in the Apollo program, including the twelve that walked on the moon. ILC also designed and manufactured the Space Suit Assembly portion of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), worn by astronauts during performance of extra-vehicular activity (EVA) on Space Shuttle missions and on the International Space Station.
Other ILC products include the airbag landing devices for Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rover (MER) missions; lighter-than-air vehicles, including airships, aerostats, and zeppelins; chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) masks and hood systems; and flexible powder-containment solutions for the pharmaceutical industry.
History
ILC Dover initially formed as a branch of the International Latex Corporation, the company founded in 1932 by Abram Spanel. The International Latex Corporation supported American efforts in World War II with latex products such as attack boats, life rafts, and canteens. In 1947, the International Latex Corporation split into four divisions, one of which, the Metals Division, eventually became ILC Dover.[1][2]
Located at that time in Dover, Delaware, ILC's earliest work was on high-altitude pressure helmets and high-altitude pressure suits for the U.S Navy and Air Force. In 1965, ILC (then known as the Government and Industrial Division of the International Latex Corporation) was awarded the prime contract for the Apollo Lunar Space Suit.[3] ILC successfully designed and manufactured the suit worn by astronauts in the Apollo program, including Neil Armstrong during the first moonwalk. By 1969, ILC's workforce expanded to 900 employees as it supported the space program through production of Apollo space suits and a sun shield to protect Skylab, the first U.S. space station.[4][5]
In 1974, the Skylab program ended, and ILC faced an immediate need to diversify their product offerings. That same year, ILC delivered its first aerostat to the U.S. Air Force for use at Cudjoe Key Air Force Station.[6] Subsequently, they entered the field of personal protective equipment, paving the way for development of industrial protection suits, such as the Chemturion Suit line. In later years, their development of protective equipment expanded into type classified military chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) masks and hood systems (for example, the M43, M40, MBU-19/P). The M40/M42 masks became the standard field mask of the U.S. Army, and, as of 2010, over two million had been produced and sold.[7][8][9]
In 1977, ILC, in conjunction with Hamilton Standard, of Windsor Locks, CT, began development and manufacture of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), the suit worn by astronauts during Space Shuttle and Space Station extra-vehicular activity (EVA). ILC continued its support of the space program, while expanding its personal protection and lighter-than-air (LTA) vehicle lines.[10][11]
In 1994 and 1995, ILC was awarded contracts with the German company Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH and the American Blimp Corporation for production of envelopes for each company. Over the following decade, ILC's production of LTA vehicles continued, and in 2001, ILC, in colaboration with TCOM and Uretek, developed and manufactured the world's largest pressurized LTA vehicle for CargoLifter in Brand, Germany.[12][13][14]
In 1994, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory contracted ILC to develop and manufacture the airbag landing system for the Mars Pathfinder Mission, which successfully cushioned Pathfinder's landing on July 4, 1997. In 2003, ILC's airbag system enabled the safe landing of the twin rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, during the Mars Explorer Rover (MER) Missions.[15][16][17]
In the 1990s ILC entered the pharmaceutical industry with the design and production of flexible containment systems, used to improve operator safety and ensure product purity during the manufacturing processing of potent pharmaceutical agents.[18][19]
References
- ^ ILC Dover, "ILC Milestones". Retrieved on 2011-02-01
- ^ Jewish Virtual Library, "Obituary, Abram Nathaniel Spanel, Encyclopedia Judaica". Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ NASA Tech Briefs, "Space Suit Spins". Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ Bivens, Terry, "ICL (sic) Dover known for Spacesuit Design, Houston Chronicle, 12/6/87", Houston Chronicle Archives. Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ ILC Dover, "ILC Milestones". Retrieved on 2011-02-01
- ^ ILC Dover, "ILC Milestones". Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ Durantine, Peter, "This Suit Was Made for Walkin', The News Journal, 5/5/06", Delaware Online. Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ Bivens, Terry, "ICL (sic) Dover known for Spacesuit Design, Houston Chronicle, 12/6/87", Houston Chronicle Archives. Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files, "Weapons Systems, Field Protection Mask, M40/42 Series". Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ NASA Tech Briefs, "Space Suit Spins". Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ Bivens, Terry, "ICL (sic) Dover known for Spacesuit Design, Houston Chronicle, 12/6/87", Houston Chronicle Archives. Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ Airship Blimp Resources, "ILC Dover". Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ Frembes, Linda Seid, "ILC Dover, Weaving through Space, The Manufacturer". Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ ILC Dover, "ILC Milestones". Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ Durantine, Peter, "This Suit Was Made for Walkin', The News Journal, 5/5/06", Delaware Online. Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ NASA Tech Briefs, "Space Suit Spins". Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ Space Daily, "ILC Dover Airbags Cushion MER Spirit Landing on Mars, Mars Daily". Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ O'Hanlon, John, "ILC Dover, Giant Strides, The Manufacturer". Retrieved on 2011-02-01.
- ^ NASA Tech Briefs, "Space Suit Spins". Retrieved on 2011-02-01.