Francis Thomas Bacon 1904 - 1992

Sir Francis Thomas Bacon (known as Tom) was a British engineer and inventor of fuel cell technology which was used on NASA's Apollo missions to the Moon. Three fuel cells were located in the Apollo Service Module and provided power and heat to the Command Module spacecraft. The fuel cells used liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, so they also provided potable drinking water for the astronauts. The technology was ideal for spacecraft of the time, as it was lightweight, more efficient than solar panels and used rocket fuel. This same technology was also used for power and water on NASA's Space Shuttle programme. Bacon graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1925 and began exploring fuel cells during his employment at CA Parsons & Co. Ltd. in Newcastle. His contribution to NASA's space programme earned him a personal thank you from US President Richard Nixon who said, 'Without you Tom, we wouldn't have gotten to the Moon'.