Crystal's Journal

 Day 19

Crystal's Journal

"Date July 21, 1069

Mommy and Daddy woke me up late last night to watch the astronauts land on the moon.  It was pretty cool.  A boy in my class said it was impossible because the moon was made of cheese.  But Mrs Miller told him it wasn't true.  I can't wait to go back to school to tell David he was wrong."

Christina closed the journal she was reading to her granddaughter.  It was written almost fifty seven years ago.

They were sitting on the couch in the living room watching a breaking news story of Artemis 11 launching.

"I remember watching Apollo 11 take off," Christina said.  "I was so excited.  It was then I wanted to be the first girl to go to space.  I wanted to be the first female astronaut."

"That wasn't going to happen for reasons that don't matter," Christina added.  "The science of it always intrigued me.  That's why I became a science teacher."

"Can I be an astronaut?" Crystal asked.

"You can be anything you want." Christina said hugging hugging her granddaughter tight.

That night Christina gave Crystal a journal so she keep one of her own.  She opened it and began to write:

Date 4/1/26

Dear Journal,

Today I witness a piece of history.  A spaceship took off to make a trip into space that had not happened in 50 years.  I watched it with Grammy.  She told me about when Apollo took off when she was about my age.  She told me she wanted to be an astronaut but she actually became a science teacher and taught her students about space.

Love, Crystal

Date 4/2/26

Dear Journal,

I couldn't wait to get home from school today to watch the news.  I wanted to see where Artemis 11 was.  I listened as the astronauts did their systems checks. Grammy said this is where they leave the Earth's gravity and head to the Moon.  I really hope someday that I can make that trip.  Grammy wanted to be the first female in space.  She told me about Sally Ride the first female in space and Christa McAuliffe who would have been the first teacher in space.  She told me how Christa died when the Challenger blew up.  Grammy was very said by this.  I want to be just like Grammy and be a teacher and I want to go to space too.

Love, Crystal

Date 4/4/26

Dear Journal

Sorry I didn't write yesterday.  But I do watch the news every day.  I like watching them float around the space ship.  Grammy and I laughed at this.  I can't wait to see the pictures they take of the far side of the moon.  Grammy told me that some people don't believe that people actually landed on the moon.  She told me about the boy named, David who thought that the moon was made of cheese.  She was proud to tell him he was wrong.

Love, Crystal

Date 4/5/26

Dear Journal

I hurried home from church just to see what the news was saying about Artemis.  Grammy has been buying and saving newspapers for me.  She bought me some books about the history of space travel.  The more I read the more I really want to go to space.  I'm hoping that by the time I'm grown up we can go to other planets.

Love, Crystal,

Date 4/6/26  

Our teacher let us watch the news today so we can see what is happening.  We watched as it traveled to the far side of the moon.  Artemis lost communication with the earth for a few minutes.  I held my breath.  It made history again by traveling further than any other human space ship did before.  I told my teacher that I want to go to space and travel even further.  She patted me on my head and told me to just keep my grades up.

Love, Crystal

Date 4/9/26

Dear Journal,

The news said Artemis was on its way back to earth.  I'm so excited to see them land. I wish I see it in person.

Love Crystal

Date 4/10/26

Today was the best day.  Grammy and I sat on the couch and watched the capsule splash down.  Grammy held me tight as we watched the astronauts get rescued.  The man on the news said it was traveling about 25,000 miles and hours.  Daddy laughed and said everyone thinks he drives fast.

Before Grammy left to go home I asked her what ever happened to that stupid boy in her class.  You know what Grammy said.  She told me she married him.  He's my Grandpa.

Love, Crystal