Astronaut and First Man on the Moon Neil Armstrong Passes Away

Famed test pilot, Korean War veteran and astronaut Neil Armstrong passed away from complications related to cardiovascular surgery on Saturday at Indian Hill, OH. Armstrong holds the distinction of being the first man to walk on the surface of the moon while captain of NASA's Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Armstrong had turned 82 earlier this month.

On July 20, 1969, Armstrong famously radioed back to mission control in Houston, TX "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" as he disembarked from the lunar module, followed shortly by fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Having flown an extensive number of hours as a test pilot in the California desert, Armstrong compared the lunar landscape to the southwestern high desert of the American southwest while in contact with mission control. Armstrong and Aldrin would collect samples of lunar rocks and soil to bring back to the earth for further study. With their work done, the ladder that Armstrong and Aldrin descended from as well as a US flag and plaque that read Here Men From The Planet Earth First Set Foot Upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We Came in Peace For All Mankind were left behind. By that point, the Apollo capsule successfully re-joined with the Columbia command module in a series of maneuvers that would still be complex and difficult even with today's more advanced technology.

Born on Aug 5th, 1930 in Wapakoneta, OH, Armstrong's father was an auditor for the state of Ohio and his family moved around within the state in the early years of his life before returning to Wapakoneta for his high school years. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Armstrong first took flight from a grassy runway outside of Wapakoneta in a single-engine two-seat Aeronca 7AC Champion at the age of 16.

After graduating from Wapakoneta's Blume High School, Armstrong enlisted in the Naval ROTC and began attending classes at Purdue university in Lafayette, IN. The ROTC program called for two years of classes at Purdue, three years of military service before returning to Purdue for the final two years of classes. Halfway through his sophomore year, the Navy needed pilots for the war effort in Korea and he underwent military flight training before being assigned to the USS Essex. By 1950, the 20 year old Armstrong was flying combat missions over enemy territory in a single-seat F9F Panther jet fighter. In 1951, while flying low through a mountain pass in North Korea, Armstrong's plane clipped a metal cable- shearing off the aircraft's right wing. Armstrong was able to limp back to South Korean airspace and eject before being rescued by US Marines on the ground.

Before becoming an astronaut, Armstrong would become a test pilot for a number of military aircraft- some of which are still in service to this day. Armstrong also was an engineer for the part jet, part rocket X15. The aircraft was capable of speeds greater than mach 5, testing the limits of human endurance for the pilots.

In a 2001 interview, Armstrong said he felt that his work with NASA was much riskier than being a test pilot since there were far fewer points of reference and known tolerances in the nascent science of manned space flight.

In 1966, Armstrong was given his first command as an astronaut- the Gemini 8 mission, which was the first successful docking of two vehicles in space. The mission also demonstrated Armstrong's ability to react in a crisis situation when shortly after the successful docking, the Gemini capsule began to spin uncontrollably. After fellow astronaut David Scott noticed their fuel supply was depleting rapidly, Armstrong and Scott conducted a test of all 16 thrusters before determining that one of them was stuck in the 'on' position. Mission parameters dictated that the Gemini 8 flight be cut short and the Gemini returned to earth. Armstrong's handling of the Gemini 8 crisis had apparently factored into NASA's decision to make him commander of the Apollo 11 mission.

The Apollo 11 flight and moon walk was Armstrong's last space flight. After retiring as an astronaut, he accepted a teaching position at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. He also was appointed to two NASA panels to investigate two different incidents- Apollo 13 in 1970 and the space shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986.

Upon the announcement of his death, Armstrong's family released the following statement.

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.

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

Including Armstrong, a grand total of 12 people have walked on the surface of the moon in human history.

Earlier this summer, the first American woman to travel into space- Sally Ride- had passed away after a 17 month battle with pancreatic cancer.