One Small Step
You are one of the hundreds of millions watching a grainy broadcast the night a human first walks on the Moon. Write where you are, who you're with, and what you understand about the future in that moment.
On 20 July 1969, Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon, while Michael Collins orbited above. An estimated 600 million people watched or listened.
Field notes
Did you know
- The onboard guidance computer had a tiny fraction of a modern phone's memory.
- Armstrong's first words were: 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.'
- A plaque left on the Moon reads: 'We came in peace for all mankind.'
Key phrases
the Sea of Tranquility · static and signal · the LM · a footprint that won't blow away · Earthrise
Chase this down
Look up: Apollo 11; the Apollo Guidance Computer.
Craft tip
Anchor world-historic events in a specific small room. The living-room detail makes the Moon real.
Try this
Write it from the point of view of the person who could not care less — and why.