Historic NASA transcripts.  Real talk from the Moon...and President Nixon TO the Moon.  Mission Control chorus.  Vocabulary on the front page.  This free printable Readers Theater science script, "Moon Talk--from Apollo 11 (Shortened)", has it all for grades 4, 5, 6 and up.  How is it shortened?  This version leaves out the conversations with fellow astronaut Michael Collins as he orbits the Moon waiting to pick up his friends.  It is LONGER than our Quick Version by about 6 minutes because it includes astronaut Buzz Aldrin calling for a moment of silent thanksgiving from the Moon, as well as the challenges Aldrin and Neil Armstrong had in trying to maneuver their space suits OUT of the Lunar Module and onto the Moon (e.g., "Roll left"...).

Complete with 6 pages of annotated curriculum links for easy lesson plans this historically accurate science script integrates curriculum into one lovely learning launch with Readers Theater.

TIME:  19 minutes            CAST:  5+(inlcudes chorus and 2 sections from President Nixon)   TONE:  historically educational    READABILITY:  grade 5.1  (NOTE:  This script is a little easier than our Quick Version because of the funny conversation the astronauts had trying to exit the Lunar Module.)

Below you'll see the first two pages of the cross-curricular script "Moon Talk--Apollo 11 (Shortened)." (Note:  These two pages may look the same as our Quick Version that is 6 minutes shorter, but this version contains interesting story conversations of the two astronauts who landed on the Moon left out of our Quick Version.  The small numbers in some lines are a reference number to the original NASA transcript.  In the PDF of the script the numbers are always at the end of periodic lines.)

Moon Talk--from Apollo 11
(Shortened Version--without Mike Collins as he orbits the Moon)
Adapted for Readers Theater by Carol Montgomery ©2012
From NASA’s Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal
(Transcript and Commentary Copyright 1995 by Eric M. Jones)

Narrator:  It’s been four days since the Saturn rocket launched into space with the Columbia Command Module and the Eagle Lunar Module.  Today we’re in for a treat as we hear parts of the astronauts’ actual conversation, live from the Moon and outer space.

Aldrin:  You’ll hear me, Buzz Aldrin, as I explore the Moon.

Armstrong:  And, you’ll hear me, Neil Armstrong, as I become the first man who walks on the Moon.

Narrator:  The world waited a long time for this day, July 20,1969.  After two alarms went off earlier do to computer overloads, many now hold their breath because they’ve heard the announcement that the Eagle has only 60 seconds of fuel left before they have to land.  The Moon is filled with craters and mountains.  The astronauts have taken over manual control from the computer.

Mission Control:  Houston Mission Control here.  You have 30 seconds of fuel remaining.

Armstrong:  Can’t land on a crater....or on those boulders.

Aldrin:  We’re close.....drifting forward a little.  That’s good.  Contact light.

Armstrong:  Shutdown.                                                       [102:45:43]

Aldrin:  Okay.  Engine stop.

Mission Control:  We copy you down, Eagle.

Armstrong:  Engine is off..... Houston, Tranquility Base here.  The Eagle has landed.     [102:45:58]

Mission Control:  Roger, Tranquility.  We copy you on the ground.  You have a bunch of guys about to turn blue.  We’re breathing again.  Thanks a lot.                    [102:46:06]

Aldrin:  Thank you.

Mission Control:  You’re looking good, here.

Narrator:  The astronauts, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong prepare for immediate lift-off in case the landing damaged their fuel tank.  They go through their checklists of procedures.  Meanwhile, Michael Collins, orbits the Moon waiting to pick up his fellow astronauts whenever they leave the Moon.  The pilot of Eagle, Neil Armstrong, speaks...

Armstrong:  Hey, Houston, that may have seemed like a very long final phase.  The Auto targeting was taking us right into a football-field-sized crater, with a number of big boulders and rocks for about one or two crater diameters around it, and it required us going in P66 and flying manually over the rock field to find a reasonably good area. [102:55:16]                                                                                                                                     

Mission Control:  Roger.  We copy.  It was beautiful from here, Tranquility.  Over.

Aldrin:  We’ll get to the details of what’s around here, but it looks like a collection of just about every variety of shape, angularity, granularity, about every variety of rock you could find.  The color is...Well, it varies pretty much depending on how you’re looking...There doesn’t appear to be too much of a general color at all.  However, it looks as though some of the rocks and boulders, of which there are quite a few in the area...It looks as though they’re going to have some interesting colors to them.  Over.      [102:56:02]

Narrator:  The Sun, low in the sky, reflects brightly as the astronauts look out the window while they get ready to exit.

Mission Control:  Roger.  Copy.  Sounds good to us, Tranquility.  We’ll let you press on through the simulated countdown, and we’ll talk to you later.  Over.

Armstrong:  Roger.

Aldrin:  Okay.  This one-sixth g is just like the airplane.                                 [102:57:01]

Narrator:  The astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, notices he feels less gravity pull on his body on the Moon than on Earth.

Mission Control:  Roger, Tranquility.  Be advised there are lots of smiling faces in this room and all over the world.  Over.

Armstrong:  Well, there are two of them up here.                                          [102:57:15]

Mission Control:  Roger.  That was a beautiful job, you guys.

Narrator:  Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong collect rocks, set up science stations, and do their checklists while Michael Collins continues to orbit the Moon.        (Continued...)

***Click on the PDF link below to see the full printable version of the historic space Readers Theater script, "Moon Talk--from Apollo 11 (Shortened)."

Download the PDF "Moon Talk--from Apollo 11 (Shortened)," a science and history script based on the flight of Apollo 11 with the first men on the Moon.