In 1492, Christopher Columbus was the first explorer of Europe's Age of Discovery to reach the new world of North America. In 1968, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon during the U.S.'s Space Age. There are several parallels that can be drawn between these two momentous events.
The Santa Maria participated as the flagship of Columbus's initial voyage of discovery of the New World. It might be likened to Neil Armstrong's Columbia, which served as the spaceship that transported the first astronauts to walk on the moon. Armstrong accompanied the Columbia on four trips to the moon just as Columbus rode the Santa Maria on four voyages back to the New World. Neither Neil Armstrong's Columbia nor Columbus's Santa Maria actually touched the terrain of their new worlds, however. The Santa Maria remained off shore in deep water while a longboat transported Columbus and his crew to shore. In like fashion, the Columbia remained in orbit while the lunar lander Challenger ferried astronauts to the moon's surface.
-Excerpted from "Columbus on the Moon" by Jenna Aster
Based on the text, what inference can we make about these two events?
Columbus's journey to the New World and Armstrong's steps on the moon both ushered in new eras of discovery.
Both Columbus's journey to the New World and Armstrong's steps on the moon were not considered a big deal at the time when they occurred.
Columbus's journey to the New World and Armstrong's steps on the moon were singular events that will never be replicated.
Neither Columbus nor Armstrong faced any real danger on their journeys to new worlds.