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Forever Mankind

It was such a beautiful sight. The sight of the Earth from the moon, Neil Armstrong looked out he wished he could stay there forever taking in the most beautiful thing he had seen in his entire life.

But he couldn't or else he would die. "Armstrong come on it's time to go!" Yelled out Buzz Aldrin the lunar module pilot and Armstrong's partner on the moon while the third man of the mission Michael Collins didn't have the luxury of landing on the moon. He had to orbit it while Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon.

"Alright, I'm coming!" Yelled out Armstrong to Aldrin. He then turned and began to make his way over to Aldrin and the Lunar Module. Their only way home.

Inside the module Aldrin and Armstrong got set to return to the command module and then home. But when Armstrong pulled the lever nothing happened. "Aldrin" Armstrong called out "what is it?"

"The lever didn't work!" Armstrong yelled out, "what?!" Aldrin called out. "The lever didn't work" Armstrong repeated.

Aldrin walked over and pulled the lever but like with Armstrong nothing worked. "Oh, shit" muttered Aldrin, "should I radio Houston?" Asked Armstrong, "yes I think you should Armstrong," said Aldrin.

"Houston we have a problem" radioed Armstrong. "What seems to be the problem little bird?" Asked the man over the radio "we pulled the lever but nothing happened" Armstrong said.

Silence was what they heard for the next few minutes. It was most assuredly not a good sign.

"When Buzz and Armstrong got stuck on the moon and I received the notice from NASA to start comin' back I felt... ashamed and weak I wished I could help them but there was nothing I could do.

They were stuck there ordained to rest there for all eternity" Excerpt from a CNN interview with Michael Collins.

"Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace." - Excerpt from President Richard Nixon's 'Forever Mankind speech'

"Is there no way to...get them Houston?" Asked Michael Collins shocked by the turn of events. "Negative Collins begin your return" radioed the NASA employee. Collins looked down at the moon a great feeling of despair swept over him as tears began to form in his eyes.

"These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice." - Excerpt from President Richard Nixon's 'Forever Mankind speech'

Armstrong and Aldrin waited for the clergyman they knew they were doomed they had already been told as much. "Buzz, Armstrong are you guys there?" Came the voice cracking voice of Michael Collins.

"Yeah Colins we're here" Armstrong answered solemnly.

"I've just been told what happened by Houston." His voice came out broken almost as if he had been crying, "Is that so?" Asked Armstrong jokingly.

"I just wanted to say I wish I could help and I'm so sorry." Collins's voice sounded as if he was resourceful that he would get to return home and they would not. Almost as if he wished he could stay there with them, "Listen to me Michael" spoke Armstrong.

"There ain't nothin' to be sorry about you hear me? We all knew the risks involved, we knew that there may have been a chance that we wouldn't get to come home. And I want at least one of us to make it home...so I want you to go on home, kiss your wife, tell your kids how much you miss them, and tell the rest of your family how much you love them alright Michael."

There was silence for a moment before Collins's voice was heard for the last time "yes sir" and then silence. Aldrin chuckled and said "nice speech Armstrong" Armstrong just smirked and said, "I wouldn't want him to do something stupid now."

"These two men are laying down their lives in mankind's most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.

They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown." - Excerpt from President Richard Nixon's 'Forever Mankind speech

Janet Armstrong was crying she had just received a phone call from the President telling her that he was sorry and her husband wasn't coming home. She would never get to hold him again, he wouldn't get to watch his children grow up. He wouldn't be there to comfort her anymore.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Asked the voice of her young son she sniffled as she looked over at him wondering how she was going to tell him the fact that daddy wasn't coming home.

"Come here" Janet began "Mommy has something to tell you."

"In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.

In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.

Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man's search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.

For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind." - Excerpt from President Richard Nixon's 'Forever Mankind speech'