Remembering the moonwalk...no, not that one!

For those of us able to remember that 'one small step', it's chastening to realise that it is 40 years this month since mum and dad let us stay up late to experience what might have been one of the first truly global examples of 'appointment viewing'—and an event and spectacle that was simply hyperbole-proof.

True, the advent of technology such as the Hubble Telescope, with its 13m light year reach, might have rendered the mere 240,000 mile Apollo 11 adventure slightly tame in 21st century eyes, but, you just need to close your eyes and think of the sheer bravery and heroism of it all for 30 seconds to gasp at the audacity of the whole enterprise.

The esteem and affection does still resonate--as was amply shown at the RFH this weekend when Apollo stalwart and most-appropriately-ever named astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, recieved a standing ovation before he'd even opened his mouth on appearing to publicise the 40th anniversary and also the publication of his lastest memoir (moonoir??) Magnificent Desolation.

For those that want the broadest and most frank view, though, there's the fantastic Moondust, a collection of startlingly in-depth interviews (that probe a lot further than Buzz wanted to venture on Saturday, by journalist Andrew Smith, who chaired Saturday's event.

Whether you remember '69 or not, Moondust (Bloomsbury, £8.99) is a gripping and fascinating set of discussions with the only 12 earthlings to date (and possibly for the foreseeable) with such a tale to tell. Find it in our science section; you will not be disappointed.