high above, the moon glows in the sky

High above, the Moon glows in the sky.

Below on Earth, three men put on special clothes.

The clothes are not made for Earth, but for the Moon. The astronauts say goodbye to their family and friends. They will be gone for one

week.

Two spaceships sit on top of a rocket that will launch them into space.

Neil, Michael, and Buzz lay on their backs and face the sky. They fasten their straps-

“click”. Now they wait.

Men check each part of the spaceship.

They ask the astronauts “go or no go?”

Each astronaut says, “go!”

The countdown begins-10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…

1…ZEROLIFTOFF!

The rocket rises off the ground.

It shakes and roars in the sky.

The astronauts fly higher and higher.

The rocket is released from the spaceship above Earth.

The spaceship flies towards the Moon.Below them, the Earth glows in the sky.

Onboard the spaceship, Neil, Michael, and Buzz release themselves from their seats- “click”. The astronauts float. Velcro is everywhere to help things stay put.

It takes skill to eat and sleep because everything floats.

There is no fresh air and no night or day. They think about where they are and where they are going.

The Moon glows in the sky ahead of them.

The astronauts fly closer and closer to the Moon.

On Earth, friends and strangers watch the news. There is no camera to show the landing.

They hear whistles, beeps, and static from a place no one has been before.

Onboard the spaceship, the astronauts look for

a flat place to land.

Slower and slower, lower and lower the spaceship lands

on a flat part of the Moon.

Far away, friends and strangers listen and hear that

they have landed. They cheer!

The astronauts climb out of the ship in their spacesuits.

They step, hop, and leap on the Moon. It is cold and quiet.

The sky looks dark and the Moon looks bright.

High above, the Earth glows in the sky.

When their work is done, the astronauts fly back to Earth with pictures, stones, and stories.

Back to their

family and

friends, they land

with a SPLASH!

Home at last.High above, the Moon glows in the sky.

The End

 Adapted Book UsageThese adapted resources are provided by the ACCESS Project at the

University of Delaware’s Center for Disability Studies for teachers to help students with significant intellectual disabilities participate in the general

curriculum. Please limit the use and distribution of these materials accordingly. Please read and purchase each original text (cited by author) prior to using the

adapted text. 

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