“First Man” plays at the Procrastinator

As of this July, it will have been 50 years since Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the lunar surface and uttered the famous line that has endured across the generations. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”  The Apollo program was the culmination of the efforts of thousands of people across two decades, all striving behind the scenes to accomplish one of the greatest feats in human history.

Today when we think of the moon landing, we tend to think of Armstrong or his crewmate, Buzz Aldrin, as they bounce their way across the lunar surface or pose for pictures next to an American flag. But there was so much more that went into making those moments a reality —  so much more that we as the public never had the chance to see.

Now, with the release of the biopic “First Man,” we finally get to see the story behind the man who went to the moon. On March 8, the Procrastinator Theater hosted a free showing of “First Man” preceded by a short talk from retired MSU professor Loren Acton, Ph.D., crew member of the Spacelab 2 mission and the second-to-last flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger. The mission was notable for being the only mission in history to continue after an abort. Upon launch, the number two Space Shuttle main engine failed, resulting in an Abort to Orbit trajectory, placing the Challenger at a lower altitude than originally planned.

Acton’s talk was peppered with bits of self-deprecating humor about his upbringing as a child growing up in rural Montana, attending a one-room schoolhouse and his tenuous status as a full astronaut. Acton’s role on the mission was that of a payload specialist, an individual trained for a single mission to fulfill a very specific role, and not that of a career astronaut. He did note, however, that upon returning from space, “people were all of a sudden interested in what [he] had to say.” Upon the conclusion of his short speech, Acton introduced a second, and unexpected, speaker: Neil Armstrong’s granddaughter. She spoke to the accuracy of the movie, and said that throughout the filming process the Armstrong family was involved in making sure it depicted a truthful portrayal of the legendary astronaut.

“First Man” is without a doubt one of the most scientifically accurate films about space travel ever created. A few liberties are taken (and only a few) with the timeline of certain events near the beginning of the film, but for the most part the script stays true to the correct order of things. The film contains several incredible scenes focused on Armstrong’s time in space, including the harrowing moments of the Gemini 8 mission. Upon docking the Gemini capsule with the Agena Target Vehicle, the Gemini’s thrusters began to malfunction, forcing the capsule into a dangerous spin which threatened to render the two astronauts on board unconscious and, later, dead. Armstrong managed to right the capsule and bring it home for an emergency landing, thus ending the Gemini program and paving the way for the beginning of the Apollo missions.

All in all, “First Man” is a shining example of realism done right in a film about space. But that isn’t to say that the story is a predictable one. While most know the story of Apollo 11, “First Man” goes deeper into the personal lives of the astronauts and brings to light the people who lived the legend. For anyone with even a passing interest in how humanity made it to the moon, “First Man” is a must-see.

Score: 10/10