The Moon Landing
On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon while Michael Collins orbited above, the real sequence of events from launch to splashdown, and why it mattered.
Nineteen sixty nine, a Florida morning, a rocket standing tall, Saturn Five, the biggest ever built, ready to answer the call, Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins climbed inside, three counting down as one, Three days through the dark of space, chasing the rising sun.
One small step, and a giant leap, A quiet moon where the dust lies deep, Two men walked where no one had been, And the whole wide world watched the screen.
Collins stayed in orbit, circling the moon alone, Flying the ship called Columbia, waiting to bring them home, Armstrong and Aldrin rode the Eagle down toward the ground, Steady hands upon the controls until it landed without a sound.
Armstrong climbed the ladder slow, his boot touched the gray dust, "One small step for man," he said, "one giant leap," a moment to trust, Aldrin followed after him, and together the two men walked, Planted a flag upon the ground, then rode back home to Earth below.
One small step, and a giant leap, A quiet moon where the dust lies deep, Two men walked where no one had been, And the whole wide world watched the screen.
Key Concepts: Apollo 11 launched July 16, 1969 on a Saturn V rocket, carrying Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins | On July 20, 1969, the lunar module Eagle landed on the Moon; Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the surface while Collins orbited in the command module Columbia | Armstrong's actual words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," and the crew's safe return and July 24 splashdown in the Pacific Ocean
Key Words: Apollo 11, Moon, Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins, Eagle, rocket