This is so sad, mainly because for me Neil Armstrong was one of those people who, despite never having met him or talked to him, has been so ingrained upon my life since I was a small child that you never consider that he wouldn't be out there somewhere. There was a story over the weekend about the reasons he was picked to command Apollo 11 and be the first man on the moon, not because he was the best there was, or even the best for the job, but because he was such a good ambasador for space flight and such a wonderful personality.
There are always 2 stories that sick with me about Neil. The first was from a number of years ago when someone asked him why he wanted to go into space and land on the moon, his reply was "I believe that every human being has a finite number of heartbeats, I just chosose not to waste any of mine". An amazing sentiment from someone who was normally so shy of public speaking.
The second is even greater, he was recently awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour for being the first man on the moon. When he attended Congress to accept the medal he gave a short speech to the packed house, which he started "We of the Apollo missions, the designers, physiscists, technicians, drivers, management (and the list went on for some time) would like to thank you for this honour you have shown us all...".
Such a great man, such a humble man, and such an inspiration to anyone who wants to follow their dreams no matter where they will lead them...