G7 – Speaking to the Man on the Moon Approaching – 02
It’s pouring down rain. No way will there be a game today. Your grandfather has asked you to help him with a task. He wants to clean out his garage cabinets. It’s not what you want to be doing on a Sunday afternoon. You must admit though, there are some pretty cool things in his garage. As you dig through one of the tubs, you spot what looks like a really large CD. Your grandfather’s eyes widen as he sees what you found.
“What is it?” you ask, carefully holding the dusty record in your hands.
Your grandfather is a retired NASA engineer. He explains that this is a recording of the first lunar landing from 1969.
“I was about your age when I purchased this record. I listened to it over and over again. It is almost magical to hear. To think that men were actually walking on the Moon. What was even more incredible was that people back on Earth were able to listen and watch it live. We on Earth became a part of this historic moment,” Grandpa explained.
You love listening to Grandpa tell his stories. Though you would never admit it to your friends, this is one of your favorite things to do.
Grandpa grabs a chair and sits down. He cups his hands over his mouth and with a crackling voice, he intones, “The Eagle has landed! That’s what it sounded like here on Earth. The astronaut’s name was Neil Armstrong. At the time, he was a hero to the entire human race. His voice was crackling but the words came through. When he stepped off The Eagle’s ladder, it was amazing. He was the first man to walk on the surface of the Moon. Everyone back on Earth cheered at this amazing feat.”
You listen to his story and feel as if you too are there. You imagine what it would have been like to be living during this time. You have watched YouTube videos of the first Moon landing in Science class. You have heard the famous quote from Neil Armstrong, “One small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” Listening to your grandfather tell the story makes it feel so much more real.