Encased in the 700 pound spacesuit, Barlow was rolled into the first rocket to the moon—and he expected to die.

He was on a mission to promote peace and his life would be the sacrifice. In bravado he claimed, “To me, the only important thing is that I'm the first man into space. That's enough for anyone to know."

But standing on the vast, lonely expanse of the moon would life—his life—mean more?

By Earthlight is a sci fi short story that was first published by Bryce Walton. This reformatted science fiction classic is offered by Eli Jayne for your enjoyment.