“History was made on July 16th, 1969, when Apollo 11 launched from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex Pad 39A, successfully leaving Earth’s atmosphere on course for the Moon.” The TV blared out through the living room and kitchen, filling the space with an energy that Sarah had never felt before. Her hands tingled, and a smile emerged from ear to ear as the explosion of the Saturn V rocket blasted the Command Module, “Columbia,” into the sky. Sarah could feel its power through the television as she jumped around from couch to couch, pretending to fly.
“That’s enough now Sarah, settle down. And turn off that TV, you have homework to finish,” said Sarah’s mother from the kitchen.
“But mom.”
“No buts, young lady. Get to the table and start your homework.”
Sarah stamped over to the kitchen table, dragging her body along. She pulled her backpack from the floor and retrieved a textbook and a set of folders, putting them on the table and replacing her bag on the floor. Seventh grade was easy for Sarah. She was already a straight-A student, but the thought of completing extra work after school was torture. Sarah’s imagination took her far beyond what was possible and would often get her in trouble with her mother.
Dreams Ignited
“Hey mom, I want to be an astronaut when I grow up.”
“Now, don’t you spend your time daydreaming, child. Get your homework done.” Sarah’s mother was less than pleased with her career choices, especially the ones that took her far from home or had expensive school fees.
“I’m not daydreaming, I want to be the next astronaut to go to the moon, like Buzz Aldrin!” Sarah folded her arms and rested her chin in the crevice it made. “That would be amazing, wouldn’t it, mom?”
“Enough Sarah, you know we don’t have the money to send you away to these fancy colleges. You are going to finish school and come work in the factory with me and your sisters,” Sarah’s mother snapped.
Sarah slid off the chair, grabbed her books, and found comfort between the mound of pillows on her bed. Sarah’s family was not as affluent as others in her school and although she understood, she never let that thought stop her from dreaming about the impossible.
“I’m going to have that dream journey to the moon one day,” she said with her face in the pillow. The thought of working in the factory scared Sarah, not because it was dangerous or she could not handle it, but because she dreamed of a future that no one else could ever understand.
As she finished up the rest of her homework, Sarah laid her head back and pulled the covers over her. The sun had just begun to set and the dim yellow light that seeped through the blinds provided the perfect ambiance for Sarah to enter her next dream. Through the darkness behind her eyelids, bright lights began to take form until they became clear stars in the distance of space. The pale blue hue of Earth appeared in the lower right of her vision and the warm yellow light that hit her eyelids turned into the burning blaze of the magnificent sun in front of her. Sarah looked around, noticing her space suit and the reflection of her face behind the screen of the helmet.
A smile returned to her face as she drifted off to sleep with the image of her dreams fully planted in her head. No matter what, Sarah knew she would have to find a way to make her dream journey to the moon a reality one day, despite whatever plans others may have for her future.
From Dreams to Reality
Hours passed by as the images of space flashed across her eyes, each moment becoming more detailed and picturesque than the last. The softness of freedom came over Sarah. She floated still, watching the universe spin around her. It was as if, in this moment, nothing else mattered and no problems existed.
A sound began to emanate around Sarah; it was jumbled and full of static, but as she tuned in, it became clear.
“Captain Davis, this is mission control, do you read? Captain Davis, do you read, over?” The voice called out several more times. Sarah’s eyes fluttered open to a display of lights and buttons surrounding her. A windscreen sat just above the console with more control panels above that. As she panned her head around, she noticed another person sitting beside her dressed in a space suit, like the ones used for launches. Sarah noticed she too was wearing one.
“Are you going to answer mission control, Captain?” The man beside her called out.
“Oh, yeah of course.” Sarah reached down and pressed the transmit button on the communications panel.
“Mission control, this is Captain Davis, we read you loud and clear over.”
“Roger, Captain. There was a delay in your communication back, are you experiencing any problems, over?”
“Negative, Mission Control, no issues, I was just reminiscing about when I was a little girl dreaming of this journey to the moon. It’s hard to believe it’s becoming a reality.”
“Understood Captain, you worked hard for it. Being the top student throughout your training has its perks. Commander of the first flight back to the moon in decades. You are joining the small few and making history.” The radio buzzed with static. “Captain, we have you ready to broadcast live to the nation, are you ready for your speech?”
“Roger, Mission Control, I am ready.”
“Roger, Captain Davis, you are live!”
“Good morning, to the Nation and to the world. It is a wonderful experience being able to broadcast directly to you from the Kennedy Space Center on Launch Complex Pad 39A. The same pad that helped launch Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon in 1969.
When I was a young kid, I watched the Apollo 11 launch and dreamed of having my own journey to the moon. Unfortunately, I didn’t come from a place of wealth and going to college was not an option. I was told to prepare to follow in the footsteps of the rest of my family and let go of all of the crazy wonderful dreams I had. But I am here today, having worked hard in school and earning a full scholarship for college. I am an example to everybody of all ages from all backgrounds and walks of life. If you have a dream, go after it.
Work hard in life and the “how” will answer itself. Never let your dreams die and most importantly, never let others deter you in any way. If you have a dream, and I know every one of you does, set out to achieve it, no matter how high you have to reach and no matter who tries to pull you back down. Your dream is yours and no one can take that away from you. Now, I’m ready to achieve my dream journey to the moon. Are you ready to achieve yours?”
Sarah settled back into her seat as her co-pilot made the final arrangements for liftoff.
“Nice speech, kid,” said the co-pilot as he attached the final seat straps.
“Mission Control, we are going for liftoff, commence countdown.”
“Mission Control to command module “Endurance”, Neptune X rockets are fueled and ready. It is a go for launch, fifteen to commence countdown.”
Journey to the Moon
Sarah waited as the seconds ticked by. The countdown commenced and she could hear the massive engines getting ready. As the countdown reached one, she held on tight as the rockets gracefully lifted the capsule off the ground, thrusting it high into the sky. Just beyond the windscreen, the blue hue of the sky soon gave way to the darkness of space and the faint glimmer of stars in its vastness. Sarah watched on carefully as her dream journey to the moon became a reality.