Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon during the 1969 Apollo
11 mission, has died on 25 Aug 2012, following complications resulting from
cardiovascular procedures. He was 82.
Armstrong's words "That is one small step for (a) man, one giant leap
for mankind," spoken on July 20, 1969, as he became the first person
ever to step onto another planetary body, instantly became a part of
history.
Those few words from the Sea of Tranquillity were the climactic
fulfillment of the efforts and hopes of millions of people and the
expenditure of billions of dollars. A plaque on one of the lander's
legs that concluded "We came in peace for all mankind," further
emphasized that Armstrong and fellow astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin were
there as representatives of all humans.
Armstrong is survived by his wife, two sons, a stepson, a stepdaughter, 10 grandchildren, and a brother and sister.
"Neil Armstrong was a hero not just of his time, but of all time,"
President Barack Obama said via Twitter. "Thank you, Neil, for showing
us the power of one small step."
Armstrong's family released the following statement on Saturday:
"Neil Armstrong was also a reluctant American hero who always believed
he was just doing his job. He served his Nation proudly, as a navy
fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut. He also found success back
home in his native Ohio in business and academia, and became a community
leader in Cincinnati.
While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his
remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people
around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be
willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause
greater than themselves.
The family will be providing further updates at
www.neilarmstronginfo.com .
"As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in
them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world
beyond our own," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
“Besides being one of America’s greatest explorers," Bolden added, "Neil
carried himself with a grace and humility that was an example to us
all."
Apollo 11 lunar module pilot and fellow moonwalker Buzz Aldrin on
Armstrong's passing: “I am very saddened to learn of the passing of Neil
Armstrong today. Neil and I trained together as technical partners but
were also good friends who will always be connected through our
participation in the Apollo 11 mission. Whenever I look at the moon it
reminds me of the moment over four decades ago when I realized that even
though we were farther away from earth than two humans had ever been,
we were not alone."
Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins said simply, “He was the best, and I will miss him terribly.”
As news of Armstrong's death became widely known, many NASA officials
offered their thoughts on the agency's best-known representative:
"The passing of Neil Armstrong has shocked all of us at the Johnson
Space Center," said Center Director Michael Coats. The whole world knew
Neil as the first man to step foot on the Moon, but to us he was a
co-worker, a friend, and an outstanding spokesman for the Human Space
Program. His quiet confidence and ability to perform under pressure set
an example for all subsequent astronauts. Our role model will be
missed."
“Neil Armstrong was a very personal inspiration to all of us within the
astronaut office," said Bob Behnken, Chief of NASA's Astronaut Office.
"His historic step onto the Moon’s surface was the foundation for many
of our personal dreams to become astronauts. The only thing that
outshone his accomplishments was his humility about those
accomplishments. We will miss him as a friend, mentor, explorer and
ambassador for the American spirit of ingenuity."
He was the best, and I will miss him terribly."
-- Michael Collins,
Apollo 11 command module pilot. |
Armstrong's single sentence, though it was focused above the national
divisions and quarrels of Earth, still signified unquestionably the U.S.
victory in the desperate space race with the Soviet Union.
Neil A. Armstrong was born Aug. 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He earned
an aeronautical engineering degree from Purdue University and a
master's in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern
California.
He was a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952. During the Korean War he flew 78 combat missions.
In 1955 he joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
(NACA), NASA's predecessor, as a research pilot at Lewis Laboratory in
Cleveland.
Armstrong later transferred to NACA's High Speed Flight Research Station
at Edwards AFB, Calif. As project pilot, he was in the forefront of
the development of many high-speed aircraft, including the X-15, which
flew at 4,000 mph.
He flew more than 200 aircraft models. They included jet and rocket-powered planes, helicopters and gliders.
Armstrong was selected as an astronaut in 1962.
His first space flight was Gemini 8, which he commanded. He was the
first civilian to fly a U.S. spacecraft. With fellow astronaut David R.
Scott, Armstrong performed the first docking in space, with an Agena
target satellite.
Less than an hour later their spacecraft began an unplanned rolling
motion. After undocking, it increased to one revolution per second.
One of the Gemini's 16 thrusters had stuck open because of an electrical
short circuit.
Armstrong used re-entry thrusters to control the capsule, and after a
30-minute struggle, it was stabilized. Flight rules required a return
to Earth after use of the re-entry thrusters, so the crewmembers fired
retrorockets that sent Gemini 8 to a contingency landing zone in the
Western Pacific.
The eventful flight on March 16, 1966, had taken just over 10 hours, 41 minutes.
Apollo 11 lifted off on July 16, 1969, with Armstrong, Aldrin and Mike
Collins aboard. Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command module
while Armstrong and Aldrin descended in the lunar module they had named
Eagle to their historic landing on the moon's surface.
"Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed," Armstrong
said, telling a tense and waiting Earth that men had finally reached the
lunar surface.
He and Aldrin spent about two hours exploring, gathering more than 50
pounds of moon rocks and setting up three scientific experiments. The
next day, after 21 hours and 37 minutes on the moon, they fired Eagle's
engine to begin the return to Collins and the command module.
The crew returned to Earth, landing near the USS Hornet in the Pacific
after a mission of just over eight days. President Richard M. Nixon was
on the aircraft carrier's deck to welcome them.
"This is the greatest week in the history of the world since the creation," Nixon told the three.
After 16 days in quarantine to protect Earth from any returned moon
germs, the crew went on U.S. and international tours. Millions greeted
them as heroes.
Armstrong later served as deputy associate administrator for aeronautics
in the Office of Advanced Research and technology at NASA Headquarters.
He resigned from the space agency in 1971. As a professor at the
University of Cincinnati from 1971 to 1979, he was involved in both
teaching and research.
He later went into the business world. Among other positions, he served
for 10 years as chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation Inc. of
Charlottesville, Va. and later as chairman of AIL Systems Inc., an
electronic systems company based in Deer Park, N.Y.
Armstrong was a fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and
the Royal Aeronautical Society, and an honorary fellow of the American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the International
Astronautical Federation.
He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He served as a
member of the National Commission on Space in 1985 and 1986, and in 1985
was vice chairman of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle
Challenger Accident. He also was chairman of the Presidential Advisory
Committee for the Peace Corps from 1971 to 1973.
Seventeen countries decorated Armstrong. He received many special
honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional
Gold Medal, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, NASA's Ambassador of
Exploration Award, the Explorers Club Medal, the Robert H. Goddard
Memorial Trophy, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the Harmon
International Aviation Trophy, the Royal Geographic Society's Gold
Medal, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale's Gold Space Medal,
the American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award, the Robert
J. Collier Trophy, the AIAA Astronautics Award, the Octave Chanute
Award, and the John J. Montgomery Award.
Image Credit : NASA
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