GIANT STEPS... The moon has always been a subject of fascination for humanity but as a child I was more interested in the Clangers, Galaxy Counters and lots of other space themed chocolates, sweets and ice lollies than recognising the scientific significance of the race to reach the moon. Although I don’t remember the actual day of the moon landing the effects of this momentous event were everywhere as I was growing up … in pop music, fiction, film and TV and of course in my school. The decision to turn the whole playground into a moonscape didn’t seem at all crazy back then but now our moon craters constructed out of tyres would be seen as an episode of Casualty waiting to happen! The dull brick walls of my primary school were transformed into a lunar landscape by both willing – me – and talented – my sister and our teachers – artists, all keen to reflect the Apollo years. My painting even earned a spot in The Evening Mail but sadly only because the playground was demolished the next year. That’s progress for you. Ms Brown SUMMER OF ‘69 I was at primary school in 1969 and I think at the time of the moon landing we had just broken up for summer. I remember everyone talking about ‘whatever next’! If only some of those adults were alive to see the world today! I remember being at home watching the very small black and white television in the corner of the sitting room with my Mum, Dad and brother. Before the event all of the newspapers and news bulletins were full of anticipation, excitement and fear! Everyone was talking about what could happen to Neil Armstrong when he took his first steps on the moon – my Mum was afraid and worried that he would float away into space, my Dad was fascinated by the technology whilst my brother (five years older than me) teased that the men would sink into a moon of cheese! I actually think I believed him! He was always winding me up and playing jokes on me – and still does! During the actual event everyone was glued to the TV in silence – great anticipation! Great relief when the thumbs up came – my Mum delighted that he didn’t float away. Ms Vincent MOON LANDING Space was an important frontier in the cold war between the USA and the Soviet Union. The race to put men on the moon drove innovation and exploration in both these nations. In 1969 the American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to be successfully sent to the moon. Armstrong’s statement when leaving the landing craft; “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” is one of the most recognisable quotes from the twentieth century. We might have expected this to be the start of regular manned missions to the moon. However, nobody has set foot on the moon since Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt in 1972. Despite this surprising fact, our understanding of the surface of the moon has increased in the past 50 years. Japan, Europe, China and India have placed instruments in orbit of the moon, and China currently has a robotic rover investigating the surface directly. The next stages in lunar exploration mostly involve private business in partnership with governments rather than the wholly government funded expeditions of the past. Amazon owner Jeff Bezos recently unveiled a plan to take humans and equipment to the moon by 2024. SpaceX owner Elon Musk has ambitions to send humans to Mars by 2024 and to have a city set up on the red planet by 2050. Should billionaires be spending huge amounts of money on space exploration? Would it be wiser to invest this money in technologies that could reduce humanities impact on the earth’s climate? 5