Simple Answer

• Gemma Tribbia, Grade 8, Willoughby Girls High School
• Short Story
• 2015

Excellence Award in the 'The Write Track 2015' competition

"Mission control to Apollo 11, are you receiving?"
We have been travelling for three days now and Buzz has said that it is only a matter of hours before we land. Earlier today at lunch Buzz pulled me aside and told me that he wanted me to be first on the moon. He told me that I was the most responsible and hard-working member of the crew and that I should have the honour.

"Five minutes 'till touchdown, you ready folks?"
Getting into my suit took well over half an hour and I was so nervous. Having no gravity made everything so much harder. But now we are on the surface of the moon and all the guys are wishing me luck. As I step out on to the surface of the Moon I can almost hear the excitement on Earth building I think that I should probably say something. Without knowing what will come out I open my mouth. I hear my self saying something about steps and leaps but it all seems like a dream. I physically can not believe that I am standing on the moon, I look back and see the shuttle behind me. Experimentally I try to take a step forwards it is such a weird feeling you can feel the solid ground beneath you but it is more like you are bouncing on a trampoline than walking. Again I look back and this time I can see Buzz slowly emerging from the shuttle. I wait for him to reach me I can tell that he is as mystified as me. Together we look down at the Earth, it looks beautiful from here, all blue, green and white. We walk around on the Moon for a while collecting samples and eventually sticking the American flag in the ground.

The trip back to Earth seemed so short compared to the trip there. I felt as though I were in some kind of trance. I still couldn't believe what we had just done. I don't know a what point I finally realised that when we got home we would heroes, celebrities even. There would be no more Neil Armstrong, member of the Navy, there would only be Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on the moon. Standing on Earth was the weirdest feeling I have ever had, even weirder than standing on the moon. Having had no gravity for so long it was a shock to suddenly not be floating around. The only way I can think of describing it is the feeling you get when you jump off a trampoline, and you expect the ground to be bouncy.

In the months after the moon landing I could not go anywhere without being bombarded with questions about the moon, the suit, the bathroom on the rocket, anything people wanted to know. After a while it died down a bit but I was still very famous. The whole world wanted to know if we should bother sending people to other planets. My simple answer to that question was "Yes."