Millennials not Necessarily Buying the Moon Landing

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Fifty years ago tomorrow, I was a breathless seven-year-old running back to my grandmother's in South Texas so I could watch Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land on the moon. My friend Stephanie was not only unimpressed, but as I recall even ridiculed my interest, which she deemed nerdy. I did not care. Yah, me!
How I wish there were a picture taken of little me with my brown legs on Mama Sue's shag carpeting, watching that magical moment, because not only would I like to see it but I need to show a Millennial or two that it actually happened. Or would the television coverage be enough?
On the 50th anniversary of this seminal moment in world and scientific history and achievement, word comes that many young people doubt the facts concerning the lunar event.
According to SatelliteInternet.com, 18% of 18 to 34-year-olds don't believe in the moon landing; compared to just 3% in my age group. However, these people often also believe aliens have visited Earth - some 75% of deniers say they believe this.
I find this news depressing. It reminds me of some of the tension I often feel with Millennials whenever they smile or shrug if I tell them I don't have the latest app (or don't want it) or when I insist on actually reading something in a book or speaking to someone live (rather than Googling it), etc. In short, I believe the younger generations have been so trained on technology that they are given to believe in fake news and deep fakes (fake pictures that have been altered to look real, often blending two photos of actual people) as much as they do "reality". Perhaps being glued to a phone or screen makes a person less inclined to believe what she or he sees on TV?
I don't know, but I urge Millennials to believe me when I say that one small step for man, one giant leap for Mankind was and is real; it was so real for me that I ran away from child's play for a glimpse into the adult world. It was so real that I told my mom and dad I wanted to be an astronomer (figuring girls could not be astronauts). And it was so real that when I first visited the Air and Space Museum in DC, my heart fluttered.
Graphic used with permission, SatelliteInternet.com. For more information on the moon landing, please visit: Nasa's website including Nasa TV.

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