[Sunflower1]

First man on moon Neil Armstrong dead at 82

WASHINGTON | Sat Aug 25, 2012 3:45pm EDT
(Reuters) - Former U.S. astronaut, Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, has died at the age of 82, NBC reported on Saturday.

Armstrong underwent a heart-bypass surgery earlier this month, just two days after his birthday on August 5, to relieve blocked coronary arteries.

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. As he stepped on the moon's dusty surface, Armstrong said: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

The Apollo 11 moon mission turned out to be Armstrong's last space flight. The following year he was appointed to a desk job, being named NASA's deputy associate administrator for aeronautics in the office of advanced research and technology.

He left NASA a year later to become a professor of engineering at the University of Cincinnati.

The former astronaut lived in the Cincinnati area with his wife, Carol.

[Sunflower1]

Neil Armstrong was a brave man to venture into the unknown. He rarely gave autographs because he felt his history making event was the effort of many people.

On one news channel reporting on the news of his death said that these days if you asked school kids who was the first person to land on the moon, they might say Lance Armstrong due to Neil being a reclusive hero. Lance Armstrong??? Really? That small step was huge. RIP Mr. Armstrong.

[viper]

R.I.P. Moonwalker.

[Pop Rocks]

R.I.P. to a true American hero!

[Sam Hill]

Deepest sympathy and condolences to his family and friends. R.I.P. Neil Armstrong.

[ians]

Very sad news, the first moon landing was a defining moment for me in my teenage years. RIP Neil.