FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 20, 2009

'One small step' onto the moon in 1969 still stands as a giant leap

You needn't hunt hard for anniversary coverage. Find an article or other feature of interest and share something you learn.

Lots of adults have vivid memories of the historic summer of '69. Look for moon landing recollections in the paper. Sometime today, ask a teacher and someone in your family what it was like.

Science news now is more often about gee-whiz breakthroughs on our planet. Find a recent report on technology, electronics or some other area of discovery and discuss how it could change the way we live.

Forty years ago this Monday, July 20, your grandparents and maybe your parents and some of your teachers joined millions of other Americans in front of TV sets or radios to experience a historic step far, far away (about 240,000 miles, actually). That was the day astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on a place humans had looked at for centuries -- the moon.
It was H-U-G-E news, as anniversary events and coverage will reinforce.

Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 mission and was joined on the lunar surface by Buzz Aldrin while Michael Collins orbited above. The two moonwalkers descended from their capsule in a transporter named Eagle, leading to the first of two famous quotes you can hear in the video below: "Eagle has landed." The other legendary comment is: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
The spacemen left the moon a day later. The United States returned to the moon in just four months and made a total of six manned landings between 1969 and 1972.

Aldrin, now 79, and seven other Apollo astronauts attended ceremonies at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida last Thursday, the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch. Armstrong, who lives a low-profile life near Cincinnati, Ohio, chose not to attend.

Astronaut says: "What does a man do for an encore after walking on the moon?" -- Buzz Aldrin, author of a new book, Magnificent Desolation

President Kennedy said: "This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." -- John F. Kennedy, address to Congress on May 25, 1961

Journalist says: "Four decades on, the sheer magnitude of the mission is still stunning . . .and reminds us how much the world has changed since the Eagle lunar module touched down that summer Sunday." -- Dave Shiflett, Wall Street Journal