It started out when my next door neighbor moved in. We went over to greet them and see if they needed help moving in their belongings. I strolled over to their house and noticed them moving in fake stars, a telescope, and a rocket prototype. As I was walking over, I considered asking what it all was for. Then I thought that maybe it was too pushy since that I didn’t know them. I finally decided that I wanted my mom to come with me.

I scampered back to my house and told my mom everything. She mentioned that we could find out if the items were for their son or daughter. Later on that day, we went back over with an enormous basket of cookies. A man opened the door, and my mom and I introduced ourselves to him. He said his name was Neil Armstrong and invited us in to enjoy the cookies with him. We walked in, and it looked like a train wreck. There were papers and blueprints everywhere. His house was full of scrap metals, various shapes and sizes of wood, even Styrofoam. We sat down at his kitchen table and opened the basket of cookies. He took a bite out of it, and right away he started complimenting them. While eating, he told us about his three kids Eric, Karen, and Mark. He told us that Karen died from complications related to an inoperable brain tumor. He told about his wife, Janet Shearon. Mr. Armstrong also told us that he was part of NASA and is interested in space and is training to go to the moon. Right then Eric and Mark came running down the stairs and greeted my mom and me respectfully. Eric and Mark asked if I wanted to go to their room. I first had to ask my mom, and she said it was ok. Then I asked Mr. Armstrong, and he said it was a great idea for his children to become friends with the neighbors.

Over the next few months, I became best friends with Mark and Eric. I mostly went to their house because they had many fun toys. I got to see all there space stuff and even looked through a telescope. I also got to meet his wife Janet, who makes good cookies. Neil continued to prepare for the country’s first trip into space while Mark, Eric, and I got to help.

It was three days before the big expedition and we were all worried he would come back hurt or not even come back. That night I slept at Mr. Armstrong house. Mark, Eric, and I couldn’t fall asleep. We kept tossing and turning in our beds. Finally, Mark and Eric fell asleep; I knew because I could hear them snoring. For some reason, though, I still couldn’t fall asleep. I continued to have a feeling that I should do something, but I didn’t know what. Neil, over the months has been teaching me building techniques, so I decided to build him a jetpack prototype. I was trying to get the measurements and everything correctly, like he taught me. I went down to the basement which was like his garage. He told me if necessary I could use some of his building materials. I started right away so it would be ready by morning. After four hours of building it was 5:00 a.m. I decided to go back to sleep. At 8:00 a.m. Mark, Eric, and I dashed down the stairs. My mom rang the doorbell, and Mark let her in. We were all going to yell surprise at Neil when he walked out of his room, but he never came out. After a half hour of waiting my mom called him and asked him where he was. He said he was already on base getting ready. My mom hung up and told us the news. I told my mom that we had to go to the base because I had to give Neil the prototype before he left. It was a very long drive with four very eager and inpatient people trying to get there as fast as possible. When we finally got there, they had already started the count down from 10. Everyone else stayed in the car while I bolted towards the rocket. I got to it and used the ladder to climb up. I opened the hatch and went into the rocket. Neil yelled at me and told me to get out because it was unsafe, but the countdown was already at one. I had to stay. Mr. Armstrong got unbuckled and helped me into the seat. He just got buckled when the rocket got released. It was actually quite exciting, because I was going to walk on the moon.

As we entered outer space we started floating. Mr. Armstrong said it was due to there being no gravity in space. I suddenly realized that I didn’t have a space suit. Luckily there was a closet full of them. Neil helped me get one on as we were landing. The shuttle landed and we got out of the rocket. When he stepped out he said, “That’s one small step for a man and one giant leap for mankind” But the “a” got lost over the radio. We spent two and a half hours collecting moon rocks and various samples. When we were finally done, we got back on the rocket and rode home safely. I explained to my mom everything that happened because she was worried sick. Many years later Neil had to get Coronary artery bypass surgery. During the surgery something went wrong and Neil ended up dying at 3 p.m. August 25th in Cincinnati. The next few months were rough, but we got through it, and I know for sure, I will never forget my trip to the moon.

Bibliography
Bredson, Carmen. Neil Armstrong a Space Biography. Berkeley Heights: Enslow, 1998.
Kramer, Barbara. NFirst Man on the Moon. Springfield: Enslow, 1997
En.wiipedia/wiki/Neil_Armstrong. Wikipedia, n.d. Web.