I was on the Moon

Not literally. I went there virtually on an electronic journey. I found this website by pure chance: and immediately loved it. It was, simply, one of my biggest childhood fantasies made real. I had direct and complete access to the Apollo 11 mission with one big bonus: I controlled the pace of the experience, chose what to see and repeated it as many times as I wanted.

 The website, created to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the man on the moon, is targeted mainly to school students and teachers. I love its flash design which immerses the visitor in the whole experience. This is particularly important since they are addressing kids with short attention spans.

I was also impressed by the sound effects. I like the use of the old radio transmissions as background. Makes it very real. This is a good example of how design can include more than the visual element. It can include sound also. The more technology advances, the more multimedia we can include in our online experiences. Maybe in the future we'll be able to communicate smells, flavours and touch through the Internet... Why not?

The site's navigation has a few interesting features:

1. Buttons that link to additional information:

They are conspicuous but don't break the site's harmony.  They cause curiosity and look as a natural part of the experience. Well thought and designed.

2. Navigation controls: 
They keep the visitor informed. You know where in the mission you are and how long it will take to finish.

3. Action Buttons: 

You have control of each stage of the mission. It's like a video game.

The JFK Presidential Library and Museum successfully took the library-museum experience online.

This is a great example of how it's possible to create a powerful internet experience with a well designed Flash animation and a simple to navigate website.