DALLAS — When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, he spoke to the earth. His declaration of “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” is arguably the most memorable quote in history.
So, what’s there to say when we go to the moon again?
“One small shipping container for mankind,” said Danielle Roosa.
It sounds funny, but if the moon, Mars and beyond is the dream, a cluster of shipping containers outside the former Valley View Mall in Dallas may be the launchpad.
They were put here by Roosa, whose grandpa, Stuart Roosa, went to the moon on Apollo 14.
“I just thought that everyone’s grandfather was an astronaut,” Roosa said. “Then, as I got older, I realized that’s not normal. You don’t talk about re-entry at the dinner table.”
She realized, instead, that a lot of people didn’t know much about space.
To change that, she started a company called Back to Space and those shipping containers are its first mission.
It’s called the Lunar Light, an immersive moon-themed experience, and it opens Thursday.
“Once you walk through these doors, you are in a whole new world,” Roosa said. “You are completely immersed.”
Using a virtual headset, visitors travel to the moon in 2055 where an asteroid has just hit and put everyone in danger. Visitors are assigned to be mission specialists who seek to save the lunar base through the mixed-reality experience.
“This is exactly what Back to Space is all about. Making people feeling immersed and included in space exploration,” Roosa said.
That’s why she’s inviting everyone to come, interact with the space around them to try and solve the problem and save the day.
Roosa says the whole experience takes about an hour, but hopes the impact lasts far longer.
“There’s a higher mission and purpose of this, which is to inspire the next generation of space explorers,” she said.
They’re not just going back to space. They’re launching futures.
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