Fifty years ago this month, Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon. Buzz Aldrin was a few steps behind. They made the impossible, possible. And their “giant leap” united humanity in an unprecedented way. A record 600 million people tuned in to watch the first Moon walk on their black-and-white televisions.
In this edition, writer Vin Maskell remembers the magical day as a school kid in Melbourne. Alan Atwood recalls the momentous global impact of the Moon landing, and asks: now what? And with billionaire tech tycoons now competing with governments for their patch of space, Michael Epis delves into the new space race – one that revolves around money, mining and military.
Plus, Gunnai/Yorta Yorta man Uncle Wayne Thorpe talks to us about the importance of Indigenous astronomy; photographer Daniel Kordan captures the Milky Way from the salt flats of Bolivia; we look at Australia’s role in the Moon landing; and we pay tribute to Laika, the first dog in space.