A Fly On The Eagle

Well, I managed to finish my U.S. history essay: "if you could be a 'fly on a wall' in any U.S. historical event, what would it be and why?". I'm not going to say it was easy, and I may have written it when I was half asleep, but here you are. Enjoy.

   "Ignition sequence start. Six, five, four, three, two, one, all engines running. Lift off, we have lift off." Thirty two minutes past nine in the morning on July 20th, 1969, one of the greatest and most memorable space missions in our world's history was launched. Apollo 11 set out to do what no man had done before. The space race was in full swing, the Russians had already beaten the United States in sending man into outer space. John F. Kennedy had made a promise to the nation that he would make it a priority to "land a man on the Moon and return him safely to the Earth" by the end of the sixties.

            It was 1969, the end of the decade creeping closer and closer. This was when the brave and dedicated Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin were ready to do what had only been dreamt of in the past. It was time for man to walk on the moon, and Americans would be the first to do it. However, landing on the Moon is not an easy task to accomplish. The crew was faced with two critical problems as they neared the moon: enormous craters limiting possible landing sites and a lack of sufficient fuel. The astronauts didn't know if they would make America's dreams come true, or meet a tragic demise. This is what I want to witness with my own eyes.

            When faced with the question of: "if you could be a proverbial 'fly on a wall' in any event in United States history, what would it be and why?", hundreds of ideas started bouncing around my head. There are so many remarkable events that have happened in our nation's history. I wanted to choose something impossible for anyone else to have seen. Something for which there are no pictures, recordings, or videos available. Something that's a bit of a mystery to everyone who was not personally there, experiencing it. Something that changed the world as we knew it; something that if I was able to see it, and experience it, I know my life would never be the same. That's what brought me to Apollo 11, or the Eagle. Everyone knows what has been broadcast for the world to see. The successful launch from the Cape Canaveral launch pad, absolutely swarmed with people hoping to catch a glimpse of the shuttle. Armstrong's first steps on the moon: "One small step for man, one giant leap for man kind." Everyone knows all about the lunar landing. I want to see what wasn't on TV, what even the NASA radio coordinators corresponding with the crew weren't able to experience. What happened inside the lunar module just before the miraculous landing?

                Neil Armstrong is commanding the shuttle that is about to change the world forever, about to revolutionize the meaning of the word "exploration". Ten seconds to launch. There's no telling what's going through the crew's minds at this exact moment other than excitement, fear, and pure adrenaline. Engines are a go. The rumble of the rocket's start up is enough to shake the insides of everyone on board. Six seconds. Armstrong tightens his grip on the controls, double, triple, and quadruple checking that everything is where it needs to be. Three. Two. One. Liftoff. The launch is a pure and smooth success. The crew handles the first hours of the mission masterfully, with such practiced hands that the actions seem almost second nature to the brave astronauts. An alarm signaling a programming issue is sounded, distracting the crew, however NASA has informed them to continue with the mission, that it was nothing to be concerned over.

            The Moon is closer and closer with each passing minute. What America - and ultimately all mankind - has been waiting for, so is close. Then disaster seems to crash down all at once. The low fuel warning. It's gone off much earlier than expected. Much earlier than is safe. The crew is rattled, not knowing how or if they will be able to complete their noble mission. If this weren't enough, Armstrong's pre-determined landing place on the Moon is in sight, however instead of seeing a smooth and level area to land, there is a 300 meter diameter crater. The fuel gauge is ticking lower and lower as the Eagle must decide what to do. The yelling begins. With nervous beads of sweat running down his neck, Armstrong takes control of the module as Aldrin is red faced and screaming out velocity data. It is calculated that Apollo 11 has about a minute worth of fuel left in its tank. Armstrong relocates a landing area, but is there enough time to get there and land safely? Thirty seconds remaining. The crew along with all of the NASA controllers in Houston refuse to take a breath as the module descends as quickly and carefully as possible onto the lunar surface. Twenty five seconds worth of fuel left in the shuttle's tank. Men of the NASA control center are blue in the face.

            "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Tears well up in the eyes of the crew, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. 8:17 P.M. July 20th, 1969. The world has been changed forever.

            I can only guess as to what actually happened in the time between the Eagle's launch and its landing on the Moon. Regardless of how accurate my depiction of the Apollo 11 mission is in my head, it is an adventure that must be experienced to be truly understood. I want to experience the urgency when the low fuel gauge goes off and the panic when the 300 meter wide crater is spotted. It is truly remarkable that the crew of this mission managed to touch down on the Moon, fulfilling what John F. Kennedy had promised, and a jolt of pride America needed. I want to feel the joy of one of the biggest accomplishments in our country's history. Seeing this with my own eyes would be something that could change my life. It is not something that can be seen in a video clip, and not something that can be experienced through extensive study of the event. An experience so exciting and with such a happy ending that turned out to be well worth the incredible risk. America will never cease to be grateful.