The Guardian, The Observer, Cass Jones, Sunday 26 August 2012
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| Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died aged 82. His family described him as a 'reluctant American hero'. Photograph: AP |
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died aged 82. The former US
astronaut, who will go down on history as the most famous pioneer of space
exploration, passed away as the result of heart complications following
surgery.
As
commander of the Apollo 11 mission, he became the first person to set foot on
the moon, on 20 July 1969, fulfilling the longheld dream of the United States
to get there before the Soviet Union. His first words as he stepped on to the
surface – "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"
– instantly became one of the most recognisable phrases ever uttered.
Armstrong
underwent heart bypass surgery earlier this month, just two days after his
birthday on 5 August, to relieve blocked arteries.
His family
released a statement on Saturday describing him as a "reluctant American
hero who always believed he was just doing his job".
It read:
"We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away
following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. Neil was our
loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. 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.
"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."
Other
tributes have come flooding in for the astronaut as news of his death spread
across the world. US president Barack Obama hailed Armstrong as one of
America's greatest heroes. In a statement issued by the White House, he said
the crew of Apollo 11 carried with them the aspirations of an entire nation
when they set out for the moon in 1969. He later tweeted: "Neil Armstrong
was a hero not just of his time, but of all time. Thank you, Neil, for showing
us the power of one small step."
Former
astronaut Tom Jones, who completed four space shuttle flights between 1990 and
2001, said: "Mr Armstrong was one of the astronauts that was my hero when
I was growing up and I watched his initial landing on the moon in 1969 with
incredible interest. He really was an inspiration to an entire generation of
people." The US space agency tweeted: "Nasa offers its condolences on
today's passing of Neil Armstrong, former test pilot, astronaut & the 1st
man on the moon. Neil was 82."
Armstrong
grew up in Ohio with a keen interest in flight and earned his pilot's
certificate when he was just 15. After flying combat missions during the Korean
war, he became a test pilot and joined Nasa's astronaut programme in 1962.
Armstrong
was joined on his moon landing by Buzz Aldrin and the pair spent nearly three
hours walking on the lunar surface, collecting samples, conducting experiments
and taking photographs. Last night Aldrin called Armstrong "a true
American hero and the best pilot I ever knew". The Apollo 11 mission
turned out to be Armstrong's last space flight. The following year he was
appointed to a desk job at Nasa, later becoming a lecturer in engineering at
Cincinnati University.
In 1961
President Kennedy had declared before the United States Congress that the US
would have a man on the moon before the turn of the decade and the moon walk
marked America's victory in the cold war space race. An estimated 600 million
people – a fifth of the world's population – watched and listened to the moon
landing, the largest audience for any single event in history.
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