Man on the Moon
On the morning of July 16th 1969, the United States of America got ready to
launch its Saturn V rocket from launch pad 39A at Cape Kennedy, Florida, USA.
Saturn 5 was the largest rocket ever built. It was 111 metres high. It weighed 2.9
million kilograms (2 900 000 kg) when it was full of fuel. Saturn V had 5 gigantic F1
engines to launch it into space. Even more engines were used later on in its
journey.
Three astronauts were on board Saturn V: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. The astronauts had to go through lots of training to move
around in their bulky spacesuits and test all the spacecraft’s equipment.
On launch day, Collins, Armstrong and Aldrin sat at the very top of Saturn V in the
command module. At 9:32am Saturn V’s engines fired and the rocket launched
off from its tower. Twelve minutes later, the astronauts were orbiting Earth.
The Apollo 11 crew took 4 days to reach the Moon.
Once they were orbiting the Moon, Armstrong and Aldrin climbed into the Eagle
Lunar Module. The Eagle made a risky landing in a shallow moon crater named
the Sea of Tranquillity. (Most people watching the landing on TV didn’t know that
the Eagle had only 20 seconds of landing fuel left at this point.) Armstrong and
Aldrin looked out the windows of the module at the lifeless and barren lunar
landscape. After six and a half hours pass, the pair inside the Eagle prepared to
exit the module. As mission commander, Armstrong stepped out first … and
became the first person on the moon.
Collins stayed in the Columbia Command Module.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to step on the moon.
After he stepped onto the lunar surface, Armstrong proclaimed these famous
words: “That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Twenty
minutes later, Aldrin climbed down the ladder and joined his partner. After
reading a plaque that said they “came in peace for all mankind,” the two planted
the United States’ flag on the surface. President Richard Nixon called to
congratulate the astronauts.
He and Aldrin walked around for three hours. They did experiments and collected
samples of moon rocks and dust. After this time the astronauts prepared to rejoin
Collins, it was time to go home.
The Apollo 11 crew returned to Earth and landed in the Pacific Ocean on 24th
July. The module had a special heat shield which stopped it from burning up as it
travelled through the Earth’s atmosphere. The Columbia Command Module has a
custom made flotation collar to help it float when it landed in the Pacific Ocean.
The Apollo 11 Moon landing was the most watched event in the history of
television, nearly 600 million people watched. Across the USA people held Moon
parties, recorded their thoughts in letters and took family photos. Nobody was
going to forget the day that man first walked on the Moon.
Over the next several years, 10 astronauts would follow in Armstrong and Aldrin’s
footsteps. The last mission to the moon was in 1972.
Though humans haven’t returned to the moon since, they have continued to
explore space. They even built the International Space Station (ISS), a space
research station, where they can conduct experiments and study space up close.
Today NASA is working on sending humans to another planet: Mars. Thanks to
the Apollo 11 moon landing, NASA is hopeful about its chances. The act of putting
three people on the moon—and then safely bringing them back home—proved
that successful human exploration in space is possible.
Task
1. Read the resource above.
2. Select (or adapt/create) from the text EIGHT points that you think best
represent the key points or events in the moon landing. You may wish to
use a highlighter to identify these key points.
3. Insert these as captions into the storyboard template provided.
4. Find or draw images that best reflect these eight key points or events.
Skill: Identifying important information; summarising a text resource.
Man on the Moon – Visual Storyboard Template
1. “On the morning of July 16th 1969, the
2. “Saturn 5 was the largest rocket
3. “Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins 4. “Once they were orbiting the Moon,
United States of America got ready to launch
its Saturn V rocket from launch pad 39A at
Cape Kennedy, Florida, USA.”
ever built. It was 111 metres high. It
weighed 2.9 million kilograms (2 900
000 kg) when it was full of fuel.
Saturn V had 5 gigantic F1 engines to
launch it into space. Even more
engines were used later on in its
journey.”
and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin.”
Armstrong and Aldrin climbed into the
Eagle Lunar Module. The Eagle made a
risky landing in a shallow moon crater
named the Sea of Tranquillity.”
5. “As mission commander, Armstrong
6. “After reading a plaque that said
7. “The Apollo 11 crew returned to 8. “They even built the International
stepped out first … and became the first
person on the moon.”
they “came in peace for all mankind,”
the two planted the United States’
flag on the surface.”
Earth and landed in the Pacific
Ocean on 24th July.”
Space Station (ISS), a space research
station, where they can conduct
experiments and study space up close.”