This July 20th, History Channel marks the 40th Anniversary of the moon landing with a Docudrama. Moonshot is part historic footage of the history of NASA and the lunar landing, and part docudrama with actors rounding out the personalities of those involved in America’s mission to the moon.
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins Are Chosen to Go to the Moon
While some dramatic liberties were taken, most of what viewers will see is a look at the lives and work of those involved in the space program in the 1960s. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were the historic crew that took the first steps on the moon.
In this docudrama, James Marsters portrays Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, and Daniel Lapaine plays Neil Armstrong, the first man out of the Lunar Lander and the first one to put his footsteps on the surface of the moon. Andrew Lincoln plays Michael Collins, the man left behind in the spacecraft that orbited the moon while his two colleagues were on the surface.
Their wives are also portrayed. This film is not only a tribute to these people and the work they did, but it is also gives viewers a new perspective on their lives as people, and how they dealt with the personal and professional conflicts that arose while preparing for their mission.
Getting Accurate Records to Make this Dramatization as Realistic as Possible
This dramatization combines news footage, mission transcripts, background interviews, and other material to make this as true-to-life as possible. There are scenes with Walter Cronkite while he was on the air telling the public about the spacecraft and the mission.
Going behind the scenes is what makes this more interesting to today’s viewers who most likely already know a lot about what happened at the time. For those old enough to remember July 20, 1969, they already have a pretty good idea of the events and the people.
This dramatization also includes the wives and families of the astronauts. It shows how they formed their own bonds in order to get through the tough training and missions that their husbands were eager to undertake.
It also shows some of the conflicts that the astronauts and the others at NASA had to work their way through. Aldrin lobbied to get the assignment of being the first man on the moon. His father lobbied for him as well. According to this docudrama, Armstrong wasn’t as eager to force his hand in getting the coveted assignment. But in the end, everyone knows that Armstrong was the first human being on the moon. Aldrin was the second one out, but second is not any disgrace, considering there are still only a handful of people who can claim that they walked on the moon.
40 Years Later Viewers Get a New Perspective of the Events
By today’s standards, going into space is not too big of a deal. But sending a person to walk on another planet is still something that has yet to be realized. NASA says it is going back to the moon, but the people of the Apollo missions have already been there.
“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Those words spoken by Neil Armstrong when he first stepped onto the lunar surface are part of human history. Now, 40 years later, Moonshot takes viewers back to that eventful time.
Moonshot premiers Monday, July 20 at 99 PM ET/PT on History.
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