Drop everything and download: Moon Walk – Apollo 11 Mission
These boots were made for walking
50 years ago, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were back on Earth, having taken a return trip to the Moon. Even now, that seems bonkers – the notion they bounded about up there, planted a flag, and enjoyed a view of Earth that would make your head spin.
If you’ve been inspired by the anniversary (and Stuff’s Moon landing gadget list), and fancy following in Armstrong’s footsteps – but without first heading into space – the Moon Walk app offers the next best thing.
What does it do?
This AR-based app places you on the lunar surface. You follow the path Armstrong took (bouncing about is optional), and listen to the mission’s audio recordings as you walk.
The mission is split into five chapters, and you gradually unlock objects as you go. Tap one to view some swish 360-degree photography and a bit of information about it.
Entertainingly, the IAP for unlocking the AR map starts out at a fiver, but drops by a quid for every completed chapter. This is an app that wants you to put in the legwork.
Any downsides?
The most obvious is that you do need a large area in which to walk. Your living room isn’t going to cut it, unless you want one giant leap into a wall. However, you can at least drag the virtual moon to adjust the direction (if not the distance) of the route.
There’s also a very static feeling to proceedings. The app does well with audio, and urges you on with a blaring alarm when your pace is off. But everything else is still, including a comically frozen Buzz Aldrin. Either that or those Moon landing videos really were faked – but to hide what a lazybones Armstrong’s colleague was.