This time forty-five years ago, history was made as a man stepped onto the moon for the very first time.

Imagine the anticipation as millions of people around the world held their breath and then felt waves of overwhelming relief at the sound of the words: “The Eagle has landed.” The culmination of work of many scientists, engineers, electricians and researchers came together in that single moment as everyone anxiously waited to watch Neil Armstrong’s historic hop from the spacecraft onto the moon. This event, and the following Apollo explorations, drastically propelled the development of modern-day technology. According to NASA, a surprisingly large list of technologies would not exist today without the Apollo explorations.

Freeze-dried foods, like the MREs used by the military and FEMA, were first invented for space travel. The same software of a retail card-swiping machine is similar to software that was designed to manage a complex series of systems on the Apollo capsules.

Medical imaging devices, TV satellite dishes, inner-ear thermometers and cordless power tools are a few more, plus smoke detectors and other fireproof materials. You can also thank NASA for the joystick video game controllers you use for Mario Kart and Nintendo 64, and of course, Pac Man.

Additionally, you can thank Apollo explorations for your laptop. Since more mass converts to more cost on board the spacecrafts, the scientists aimed to make everything as lightweight as possible, including the technology. This same idea translated into technology on earth, and the concept is still relevant today, hence the MacBook Air.

Also, where would the world be without the Moonwalk dance? Michael would have had to come up with another slick move for his music video. Space exploration has also led to world-renown literature and movie series, such as Star Wars and Space Trek. Not only did the moon explorations spark creativity, but they also inspired many people around the world to embark on a career in math and science to further new inventions and explorations and (metaphorically and literally) reach the stars in their goals and dreams.

The secret of creating a great home entertainment system is designing a layout that fits into your home while keeping hidden as much of the understructure (i.e. the wiring) as possible. To achieve this, some homeowners hire professional electricians to send wires through the walls and ceiling. But people often take on the work as a do-it-yourself hobby. Although this is a much better DIY project than, say, attempting to install a furnace or an air conditioning system on your own (you should never try either), it can sometimes lead to wiring issues that are difficult to diagnose and fix. When problems crop up, it’s best to call in an electrician with knowledge of home entertainment systems to assist you.

Ceiling fans are sometimes looked over when decorating a home. Besides of freshening a room, fans complete a room design and composition. It’s important to understand how size and height affect the fan’s efficiency and overall look of a room. A ceiling fan that’s too big will overpower the room’s design and visually pull the ceiling downwards; a fan that’s too small won’t properly circulate the air.

Here's a novel idea to ponder: One day, your car could be the power source for your home electrical work. That's right, electric cars are being primed to send electricity from their batteries back into the home and even to the electric grid. They aren't full-time power sources, of course, but cars do have the potential to get you through a power outage and even help you save money on your electric bills. Read on to find out how.

Upending the Human-Car Relationship

The typical relationship between electric cars and our home electrical work is a one-way street – you fill up the car's battery from a home charging station, a process that takes hours. However, new fast-charging technology that is becoming available has a second intriguing function: it also allows the car to discharge electricity into the home. Nissan has already developed a system that would allow the car to hook up to home electrical work and keep it running in an emergency.

The battery in the Nissan Leaf holds enough energy to power a typical home for about 24 hours, longer if you take energy conservation measures. It won't keep the power on forever, but it's enough to keep the lights on and the fridge cold for a while during an outage. Even more impressive, since cars are, after all, mobile, the autos could be driven to areas in need of power in the event of a black-out to help with emergency services.

Smoothing Out Demand

The next step would be to use cars to actually sell electricity back to the grid. In a twist on time-of-day pricing, in which electricity costs more during the day and less at night, manufacturers envision a day when our cars are used as giant storage batteries, soaking up electricity at night when it's cheap and then discharging it back to the grid during the day to help even out demand and reduce bills at the same time.

With the right technology in place, utility companies could control exactly how much electricity comes and goes from plugged-in cars. This could reduce expenses dramatically, because it costs a bundle to bring on incremental power sources to meet extra demand during the day.

A Vision of the Future

This futuristic vision of the electrical grid isn't here yet, but the technology already exists. As more and more electric cars hit the road, we get closer to realizing their potential as mobile power storage devices as well as human transportation vehicles.

To find out if your home is suitable for an electric car charging station, call a local electrician today.