Saturday, August 25, 2012

RIP Neil Armstrong, American Space Explorer

The first man to walk on the Moon has passed.

Neil Armstrong passed away today at the age of 82 following complications from recent heart surgery.

If you were alive in 1969, you may remember where you were when you heard the words that echo today, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind" along with the grainy, black and white video and beeping audio that punctuated engineers speaking the new language of space.

I was living in Huntsville, Alabama, home to the Marshall Space Flight Center at the time. Quite a few of my friend's parents worked there. There was a great sense of pride among everyone and a sense of awe for one particular teenager. I remember looking up at the Moon while walking home from a friend's house where we'd gathered to watch the landing on TV and thinking, "We actually did it."




I would later work with several of the people who made the Apollo Program a success. All of them had many fascinating stories to tell.

Godspeed, Neil. You have slipped the surely bonds of Earth to touch the face of God.

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