Neil Armstrong died Saturday in Cincinnati, Ohio at the age of 82. His death was due to complications of heart surgery he had earlier in the month according to family members.
Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, went into space twice. In 1966, he was Commander of the Gemini 8 mission. His second trip into space, was in July 1969, along with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins in the now infamous Apollo 11 mission, that was the first landing on the moon in history.
The Lunar module, “the Eagle”, landed at the area of the moon known as “Tranquility base” on July 20, 1969. Armstrong’s first step on the moon, for all of humanity, was taken on July 20, 1969 at 10:56 pm (Eastern time). That moment put himself and all of humanity into the history books forever. Neil Armstrong was 38 years old at the time.
The Apollo 11 mission was Neil’s last trip into space. But Armstrong became an American hero, and inspiration for generations to come, and became a space legend for the entire world. He will be missed.
I have to say, the man had some courage to strap himself to a rocket that was basically sitting on a bomb of fuel and blasting into space for a 250,000 mile 4 day journey to the moon. It had never been done before, to walk on the moon. I can’t imagine what went through his mind at the time of blast off.
His famous phrase, “that’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” will be remembered forever. It was truly a historic moment in time.
Many tributes have been made to the late greatest hero of all time since the news of his death has spread. Below is just a few of the words given tribute to a man who will forever be remembered. We wouldn’t be where we are today without him.
“Neil was among the greatest of American heroes — not just of his time, but of all time,” said President Barack Obama. “When he and his fellow crew members lifted off aboard Apollo 11 in 1969, they carried with them the aspirations of an entire nation. They set out to show the world that the American spirit can see beyond what seems unimaginable — that with enough drive and ingenuity, anything is possible.”
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said the former astronaut “today takes his place in the hall of heroes. With courage unmeasured and unbounded love for his country, he walked where man had never walked before. The moon will miss its first son of earth.”
House Speaker John Boehner, from Ohio, said: “A true hero has returned to the Heavens to which he once flew. Neil Armstrong blazed trails not just for America, but for all of mankind. He inspired generations of boys and girls worldwide not just through his monumental feat, but with the humility and grace with which he carried himself to the end.”
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/25/us/neil-armstrong-obit/index.html
