One giant leap

On 20 July 1969, as 600 million people around the world sat glued to their televisions, American astronaut Neil Armstrong slowly descended from Apollo 11’s lunar module Eagle and became the first person to step foot on the Moon, famously proclaiming, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. Fifty years after Armstrong planted the Stars and Stripes on the Moon’s barren surface, this singular event is still considered one of the defining moments of American greatness.

Yet few people realise that this triumphant leap for mankind was propelled in part from an unlikely place: Iceland. In the years preceding the Apollo 11 mission, Nasa believed it was essential for its astronauts to prepare for their intragalactic journey by training in the most otherworldly terrain on Earth. After scouring the globe, officials determined that the Moon’s lunar landscape was strikingly similar to that just outside Húsavík, a quiet 2,300-person fishing community on Iceland’s northern coast. Nasa sent 32 astronauts to train in its crater-filled terrain in 1965 and 1967. Incredibly, of the 12 humans who have ever walked on the Moon, nine first touched down in Húsavík – including Armstrong himself.

Now, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing, this small settlement is preparing to celebrate its role in this cosmic achievement in a big way.