All systems go
We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
-President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, September 12th 1962-
“Ten.”
The huge white and black tower that was Apollo eleven sat beside the iconic red girders of the actual launch tower in the warm summer sun of July sixteenth, nineteen-sixty nine. Dozens of mechanical arms crisscrossing vertically up the gap connected the two, many thick pipes spanning the rocket and the tower delivering the mighty Saturn Five its life blood of liquid oxygen.
The crew picked for the legendary mission consisted of Commander Neil Armstrong, Lunar module pilot Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin, and Command module pilot Michael Collins, sat inside of the mighty craft. Anxiously awaiting the green light. They didn’t have time to worry, they only had one thing on their minds. Going to the moon.
“Nine.”
Clouds of white fog rolled off of the rockets skin, as the insanely cold innards condensed when it met with the warm sun that bathed Cape Canaveral. Ponies and humans stood at the safe zone more than a mile away from the pad, unable to come closer due to the wide river separating the two locations.
Respectable men and women, clad in their Summer outing wear either stood near the banks with cameras, or sat in the bleachers that had been erected for the momentous occasion. Excited Earth and Unicorn ponies stood or sat with them while most pegasi hovered overhead. All however were intently focused on the gleaming white tower in the distance.
“Eight.”
Equestria had first made contact with humanity years ago in the early fifties, and while that was a momentous occasion for both parties, the ponies' stories of sending one of their own to their moon had inspired the residents of Earth. Now, almost three decades later, after countless failures and sadly, sacrifices of life as well as the competition from the Russians. It was Earth’s turn.
“Seven.”
From a cloud sitting as close to the border of the safe zone as possible was one of Equestria’s greats. Three time saviour along with her friends of their world and the only pegasus to ever pull of the legendary sonic Rainboom, Rainbow Dash. While all of her friends had come along they had resigned to stay on the soil leaving the excitable mare to herself.
“Six.”
The young pegasus had seen much in her short life so far, but when she had first visit the human world at just age eight with her parents it was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Huge towers of concrete and glass that rose to the the heights she only ever was at whilst flying. Amazing flying machines so powerful and awesome, yet at the same time, sleek and elegant pulling maneuvers at speeds even the wonderbolts could scantily hope to achieve.
“Five.”
Maybe that’s why she had pushed herself to fly even faster and higher. The ponies had inspired the Humans, and now, the Humans inspired her. When she had first heard about the plans to go to the moon without the aid of magic she was promptly shocked and incredibly proud of the bipedal race.
Sure, she knew that they had done some awful, irredeemable things in the past, but it was just that, the past. All the wars, death and hate were but a small blemish on what humanity could do, and were about to do.
With all that she had seen from them, she still managed to find herself absolutely amazed when they continued to push the envelope. She had no doubt in her mind, that if there was a race that could do it, it would be the Humans.
“Four. Ignition sequence start.”
From the concrete pad at the center of two worlds' attention the single most ambitious and downright amazing feat had just begun. The five monstrous F-1 rocket engines lit up. Unlike most expected, it wasn't with a roar or a bang, it was an ungodly, earth shattering rumble that those for miles around could feel rattle their souls.
Two great clouds of white exhaust erupted sideways from the gaps underneath the pad, shooting their plumes high into the air. Angry black smoke and vicious flames burst forth from the boosters up around the Saturn Fives body, before being promptly extinguished and sucked back underneath the rocket.
“Three.”
The magnitude of the vibrations that were product of the immense power, began to shake loose the ice that had frozen to the side of the craft. Thousands of particles of ice and water rained down in a haze along the rockets body. When they neared the extreme heat of the engines they instantly melted, drenching the pad.
“Two.”
The small delay between firing and launch had now allowed the first stage engines to roar into full operation. The sound was unlike anything imaginable.
“One.”
The arms of the tower suddenly disconnected, breaking their hold on the Saturn and swinging to the side away from the craft. The tail service masts hung on till the very last moment, until they finally released, cutting the electrical charge they gave to the rocket. Now, without anything holding it back, Apollo eleven was all systems go.
“Liftoff!”
Three hundred and sixty three feet of absolute power slowly rose from the pad, as if in slow motion. A hellish glow illuminated the rocket from beneath making all else appear as if it were dusk. Ice continued to fall from its hull into the fiery pit. The tail service masts that were firmly bolted to the pad, had no chance of escaping the volcanic force from the engines, instantly turning them from N.A.S.A white to charred black.
Shooting clear of the red girder-work tower, the brilliant pillar of pure white flame was exposed to the spectators eyes. Without the huge concrete pad to block the force, the shockwave from the engines raced across the Florida coast. Even from their position a mile away all those who were watching from the stands and the skies felt like they had just taken a fastball to the gut.
The sideways shaking was unbelievable, the vibration was so intense, the astronauts couldn’t see the instrument panel just in front of them. It was so powerful that they believed that something must have failed.
Higher still, the worlds most powerful, expensive and complicated machine continued to accelerate. Balanced on a pillar of five thousand eight hundred degree flame. Seven and a half million pounds of thrust continued to push the rocket into the reaches of space.
Just a minute after launch, Apollo eleven was already supersonic and still accelerated. Vapor cones formed all over the ships sides, but they were nothing compared to the huge cone of white that surrounded the focus point of flame at the rockets base.
Faster, the unmatchable acceleration of the craft continued to lift the men inside towards the floating orb that was the moon. Twenty tonnes of fuel a second was greedily consumed between the five engines until the first stage had been sucked dry.
At forty miles above the planet, the second stage commenced. A huge bang sounded, the spent tanks and faithful F-1’s dropped away as the second, smaller rockets lit up.
Back on the ground, ponies and human continued to gaze skyward. Their necks locked in position and their eyes never leaving the beautiful rocket that had become a sparkling star in the blue vastness.
The Element bearers chatted animatedly amongst themselves about the spectacle they had just witness, yet Rainbow Dash just sat there.
Perched on the edge of the cloud, with the forehooves in the air she leant back as far as she could. Her brilliant, charismatic magenta eyes had, for one moment in her life, taken on a very rare appearance.
Admiration.
Here she was. An alien in a world of aliens. A creature that had existed for far longer than humanity and had mastered flight when they simply dreamed of soaring through the skies.
And now? Just sixty two years after they had first achieved real flight, they had already long surpassed pegasi and were entering the annals of legend.
Three men. One of which who would go on to be the first human being to walk on the surface of another planet had achieved what it took an almost god-like, sun princess to do to one pony, and had used the majority of her power to do so.
Yet there he would be. A country boy from Ohio, planting footsteps on another cosmic body. All the while it had been achieved without aid from pony magic. Simple, honest, human ingenuity and persistence had won the space race. But most of all.
Courage.
Humanity was never afraid to go to the next step. Never afraid to test their limits. Never fearing leaving their comfort zone. Years ago, a pony Anthropologist had stated that:
‘Humans were constructed with a hole in their hearts. A never ending chasm, yearning to be filled. It seems horrific, and in some ways it is. But it is this hole what makes them so amazing.’
The slowly fading mechanical star that sat high above Rainbow Dash at that moment was truly a testament to that statement. Never once in her life had she felt such pride for one other than herself.
In a few moments, Rainbow Dash would finally look away from the rocket. She would dismount the cloud and glide down to join her friends in conversation about the event. But for one fleeting moment in her life, she slowed down.
She stopped. She stared in wonder, amazement and awe. An unmistakable shimmer in her eyes told anyone who may have been looking that she was utterly entranced. The fire of determination and fierce, competitiveness was now accompanied by a single tear of astoundment rolling down the fur on her cheek.
She didn’t even notice the slip in her demeanor. For once, she didn’t care what she looked like to others, she was simply and utterly enthralled by the launch.
This single event was enough to drastically alter her entire outlook on her future choices she made. These hairless, wingless humans had managed to simultaneous fly both higher and faster than she could ever dream.
Instead of making her mad, or jealous. She felt only resolve. That she would, one way or another, do what they did. Maybe she wouldn’t walk on the moon, but there was more out there amongst the stars than that.
The sonic Rainboom she had created as a filly was the highlight of her entire life. When she had done it a third time at the royal wedding she was elated to find that she could pull them on command.
But now, Space seemed to be the next step. The Wonderbolts didn’t even compare. Astronauts were just as, perhaps even more famous than any stunt flier.
It was at that moment. That single millisecond of existence. That fleeting moment that would only ever occur once in the entire lifespan of the Universe that Rainbow Dash made a decision.
She would prove herself to humanity.
She would show them true pony power, she wanted to show them that she was just as good as they were. That she could call herself a honourary human being. She wanted to be them and for them to accept not only her, but all of ponykind.
The moon landing would show that despite humanities flaws, they were gods among the ponies. Rainbow Dash would be a key factor in balancing out this inequality.
Many ponies that knew her wouldn’t have picked the tom-colt pegasus from Cloudsdale to be one of the leading revolutionaries in pony-human relationships, but when the time came and Rainbow Dash became the first pony to walk among the stars.
Two worlds would never be the same again.
In memory of Neil Armstrong, August 5th 1930 - August 25th 2012
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I noticed a few small errors that an editor could have fixed.
But ERMYGOD I LOVE THIS STORY
SEQUEL
SEQUEL
SEQUEL
When I first saw the title (until I saw the July 16th date) I thought this would be about Luna peeking out from among some rocks to see Neil Armstrong taking "one small step."
You get a thumbs up, though. I think you captured the weight of the moment here.
When the first Saturn 5 test launch occurred I was 5 miles from it on a Coast Guard cutter. The sound alone made our shirts flutter as if there was a breeze blowing. The sand that we had tracked onto the deck danced in an inch thick cloud over the metal plates. Your story has brought all that back, thank you.
B.D.
Inspirational.
The road to the stars is long and impervious...
A like and a fave for you, my good sir. You deserve them.
I WANT MORE
Fun story. A few errors I noted as I read this:
"Clouds of white fog rolled off of the rockets skin, as the insanely cold innards condensated when it met with the warm sun that bathed Cape Canaveral." Condensate isn't a verb. Use condensed.
"Equestria had first made contact with humanity years ago in the early fifties, and while that was a momentous occasion for both parties, the ponies stories of sending one of their own to their moon had inspired the residents of Earth. Now, almost three decades later, after countless failures and sadly, sacrifices of life as well as the competition from the Russians. It was Earths’ turn." ponies' and Earth's.
"From the concrete pad at the center of two worlds attention the single most ambitious and downright amazing feat had just begun." worlds'.
"Just sixty two years after they had first achieved real flight, they had already long surpassed pegasi and were entering the annuals of legend." You want annals there.
"The sonic Rainboom she had created as a filly was the paramount of her entire life." Paramount as a noun means supreme ruler. Not sure what word you wanted there.
There are a few more apostrophe errors as well.
"One small step from a man One giant leap for Mankind" - Neil Armstong
Fuck me that was powerful.
Nice job, dude. Nice job.
~Skeeter The Lurker
I was listening to "A Space Oddity" by David Bowie when I came across this.
Coincidence? I think not.
Well written, and beautiful pictures.
9/10 Brostaches
24.media.tumblr.com/856cd79de6fd8fd938b2d4b28fd04ef3/tumblr_mk8ss7kMMK1ranhnao1_500.gif
Huzzah for Humankind!
Wow, that was just great.
I don't know about that
Modern humans have been around for about 200,000 years. Who's to say Ponies have been around for any longer than Humanity has. Flying for longer? sure.
2979120 head cannon
2979219
K
Very nice. Your passion for space flight shines through.
Flesh out this universe you describe!!!!!!
Tiny errors but holy shit, just...just the pure, powerful emotions...Wordless.
...Beautiful...Just beautiful.
Please, I beg of you, flesh out this world where peaceful First Contact occurred.
You have my admiration and considerable respect in a short piece you landed the hammer on the nail as to why the exploration of space was so important in so many ways
I'd love to see more written on this idea and I love how you captured RD's resolve
There needs to be a sequel showing Dash's reaction to them landing.
That. Was. Beautiful. You captured the moment in a powerful way that I can only dream of doing, and you kept it powerful without getting dramatic.
11 out of 10 brostaches.
Ah, that was just awesome.
Now, all Dash needs to get to the moon is go say "hi" to the Soviets. They might not be the first on the moon, but with the suitable kick in the pants of "put the first Equestrian pony on the moon" they might actually go and fix all the problems in their N-1 moon rocket.
Or they might not; but then again depends on what propaganda race the Soviets want to win first. First space station? (Salyut 1) Or first pony on the moon (that wasn't punted there by an angry alicorn)? Then again, they could probably do both.
Might also "encourage" the Americans to not cut NASA funding. ("Hey, the Soviets are providing space flight to the ponies! This makes us look bad. Let us prove we are the better space program! BEGIN BUILDING MORE SATURN Vs, our moon base is calling and wants to know when we'll start building it, and the AAP says we need to make a flyby of Venus with a peasus aboard.")
Simply by striving to achieve and improve and discover means you have already succeeded, Rainbow Dash. Being human is an ideal, not a matter of genetics.
Actually, I would say that humans are terrified of those things. But what makes us so great is that we do it despite our fear. Courage is not a lack of fear, it is acting in-spite of fear.
All humans play a game, the game that is life itself, and certain players will become a seem less cog in the huge machine that is Mankind, and others will be on the surface showing their colors for those to look upon the machine. Humanity is fearful that this machine will fall, but it will always move forward until the last cog dies. This is the feeling that makes me happy to be human.
Part of me wonders, what would Neil's one small step line be with ponies as allies?
I want more but I DON'T WANT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS BEAUTIFUL WORK!
Honestly that was some powerful feelings you got going in me: pride, optimism and weirdly awe. This is why the race to space (As a species as a whole, lets not bring in the whole "showing off the the Soviets" bit of this period of history too) is so... I think romantic would be the best word. Still it continues today, as it always has and will to the end, with the signs of humanity's desire to push into the unknown and the impossible be it just for it's own sake, "FOR SCIENCE!" and/or curiosity with it being all around us in all we say and do.
I feel this is probably the best way to remember Neil Armstrong, not as a man, but a symbol to gain strength from of Humanity's determination.
This hit me in the feels harder than any other fanfictions I've read.
As a child, and still to this day, I have fascinated with space and the universe; I've always wanted to go to space.
Thank you for re-opening the Nostalgia Vent to my Childhood, and capturing the wonder of the first moon landing.
If I could be in Dash's place, I would.
(I'm only sixteen, but I freaking LOVE Astronomy, and I read all about the moon landings and the 9 planets- of which Pluto is still a part of- from 5 years old onward.)
"Am I afraid?
Am I afraid to possibly be the first civilian to die in space?
No. I am not.
I am afraid of being the last."
WOW, man that's some good writing. Also who made the pictures
Yet we still forgive one another and move on. I think that is humanity's greatest aspect. Our capacity for forgiveness.
3134999
That is why the inscription left on the moon moves me. It isn't "America was here" or something of the sort. It is "We Came in Peace, For All Mankind".
As Macharius said "Courage and courage alone is humanity's greatest weapon".
It would actually just be your power, not that of ponies as a whole. If most ponies felt your resolve, then it would be, but they don't. That simply isn't how their minds work, from what I've seen in the show. But you could be considered human, or at least having a human spirit.
That inequality can never be balanced out by one pony, or even several. ALL humans are like that, so humanity will always be that far ahead of ponies. Maybe not always technologically, but we always make the impossible happen. If a way does not exist to be discovered, we will make one, then several. Ponies would simply give up, as show in the show. This is actually one of my only complaints about the show. The ponies just give up whenever the reach a block or things become difficult.
The greatest about Humanity is that we don't believe in the word, impossible. To us, impossible shall always remain a word for Humanity's greatest ability is that they have no limits. We don't stop nor will we ever. Even if we become the most advance race in the universe, we will keep going forward and to some races, it's a curse. But to us, the path of impossible wonders is forward and we must seek it without pause.
global3.memecdn.com/r-i-p-neil-armstrong_o_664417.jpg
Oh, I just love how casually you pit Russians against Earth.
Thanks a lot, dude. Really. Good to know we`re still eldritch abominations in the mind of good ol` boys. (Yes, it`s sarcasm.)
Ha, I get it, it matches your bio. . . so good.
A little late but there are a two technical errors in chapter 1
A Saturn V has no boosters
Ignition was between minus six and seven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UExTN3_UOIY
You good sir....... I can't even come up with words. Very few stories ever have the ability to make a person feel the way I do now.... And fewer still have the ability to do it in less than 5,000 words..... Bravo.
I myself am passionate about the space race and humanities achievements in general. I hope to one day be as amazing as any other human ledgend that has been born from our history. Your story inspires me to stay on the right track and keep persuing that goal no matter what.
I thank you.
So, so amazing. I listened to this the entire time:
5251215 unless i missed something, i think this story takes place during the space race, when America and Russia were pitted against each other. on a different topic, you may be using a multi leveled sarcasm i have yet learned to cope with. If that is the case forgive my ineptitude
That man is my damn hero, Rest in Peace Neil Armstrong, you will be forever remembered by humankind.
3722002
This isn't a pony thing. During the Three Tribes Era they were different then. What you are talking about is more a living-in-peace-for-a-thousand-years-has-made-them-soft thing instead.