R.I.P Neil Armstrong

Very sad indeed :(

I'm torn between sadness that he had to endure that burden for most of his life and jealousy because I want to go to the moon.
 
"For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink." -- Armstrong Family statement.


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There is a fantastic story about Neil Armstrong which unfortunately is almost certainly not true (a great urban myth) that he was heard to say on the moon "good luck Mr Gorsky". Apparently as a young man he'd over heard a row from his next door neighbours, the afore mentioned Gorsky's. Mrs Gorsky was heard to scream, I'll shag you (or words to that effect) when the boy next door walks on the moon.

I wish that story was true.

For those of you who think Armstrong's only mission was his commanding of Apollo 11, read the incredible story of his Gemini 8 mission and ask yourselves, would you want to go back into space after that?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_8
 
Maybe he should be buried on the moon just like Dr. Eugene Shoemaker was. also I believe that Gene Roddenberry and Dr. Timothy O'Leary where shot off into space upon their death, a fitting end don't you think.

On a personal note I don't really understand why people think it is sad when someone dies of old age, I can understand when their life has been cut short due to an illness or accident but old age and death is something we all have to face...
 
Sorry to hear about Neil Armstrong. Possibly the most famous man of our time.

Still 8 men alive today that have walked on the moon. The youngest is 76 year old Charles Duke who flew Apollo 16.
 
Another interesting fact is that there are no still photographs of Armstrong on the moon. Armstrong only appears in the reflection of Aldrins helmet in a couple of photographs.
 
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...
 
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