A dream come true
Imagine being 16, obsessed with space, and suddenly getting a letter from the U.S. Embassy asking you to represent your country at a NASA launch. That was the reality for Dermot Gethings back in 1972. A schoolboy from Lancashire, Gethings was chosen as one of 80 students worldwide to attend the Apollo 17 launch, the very last manned mission to the moon.
The main character moment
Gethings didn't just watch from the back; he ended up in the middle of history. The best part? He accidentally bumped into Neil Armstrong outside a motel and, in a moment of pure "I can't believe this is happening" energy, ended up chatting with him and having Armstrong's wife snap a photo of them.
"I stood on his foot by accident and I was really embarrassed," Gethings recalled. "I looked up and the man smiling down at me was Neil Armstrong!"
The mission of a lifetime
Beyond meeting the legend himself, Gethings spent 19 days touring NASA bases and even dined at the White House. He was there for the deafening launch, which he described as a "shockwave that rattled every bone in your body," and he even got to listen to the astronauts speak directly from the moon’s surface. When he returned to the UK, he was tasked with presenting the country’s "Goodwill Moon Rock" to Prime Minister Edward Heath.
Now 70, Gethings is sharing his story in a new 30-minute documentary, The Custodian of the Goodwill Moon Rock, which premieres on October 14 at the University of Central Lancashire. It’s giving major nostalgia, but for Gethings, it’s just the story of his lifelong passion finally coming to the big screen.
Why it matters
This story is a reminder of how one curiosity-driven project can literally change your life. Gethings went from a teenager reading about space in Lancashire to a key part of space history, proving that keeping that spark alive is lowkey the best way to live.
