A look back to how Sheffield reacted to historic Apollo moon walk - and the Sheffielder who went into space
With billionaires taking on their own space race these days, here we look back at the US Apollo 11 Moon landing that enthralled the world 52 years ago this month.
By Julia Armstrong
Published 17th Jul 2021, 10:41 BST
The US mission to walk on the Moon in July 1969 gripped millions of us who watched history being made on our TV sets, fascinated by the often blurry black and white images and the excited explanations of presenter James Burke.
SheffielderHelen Sharman remembered her dad trying to impress upon her the importance of what was happening as a six-year-old. She would go on to be the very first Briton in space, decades ahead of Tim Peake, and the first woman to visit the Mir space station in 1991.
Britain's first astronaut Helen Sharman holds an anniversary cake at the Science Museum in London in 2016 as she stands with the space suit she wore 25 years ago on her journey into space Photo: Steve Parsons/PA
Britain's first astronaut Helen Sharman unveils her wax figure at The London Planetarium. The figure, modeled by sculptor Sue Kale, is dressed in an exact replica of the Russian spacesuit Helen wore on her eight-day flight to space station Mir. In 1989 Helen answered a radio advert "Astronaut wanted - no experience necessary" and was selected from 13,000 applicants to take part in Project Juno, the historic Soviet Space Mission, to become the first Briton in space. Photo: Sean Dempsey/PA