Neil Armstrong, who stood on moon's Sea of Tranquility, to be buried at sea

Neil Armstrong gives an acceptance speech after being inducted in 2010 into the Naval Aviation Hall of Honor at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Fla. The Navy will honor him with a burial sea. / US Navy

(SPACE.com) The late astronaut Neil Armstrong, first man to set foot on the moon, will be buried at sea, NASA has confirmed. 

Armstrong, who died Aug. 25 at age 82, was remembered during a private family memorial service held in Cincinnati last week. NASA has scheduled a public memorial service to be held Sept. 13 at Washington National Cathedral. 

The date and details of the first moonwalker's interment at sea have not been announced. 

The first U.S. civilian to orbit the Earth, Neil Armstrong served as a naval aviator for three years, from 1949 to 1952, before resigning from the U.S. Navy and joining NASA as a research pilot and astronaut. The Navy will perform the committal ceremony. 

According to the Navy, the standard ceremony for burial at sea is led by either a chaplain of the appropriate faith, the ship's commanding officer or an officer designated by him or her. The ceremony includes a three volley (rifle) salute and the playing of Taps. [Photos: Neil Armstrong's Private Memorial Service] 

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus extended his "deepest and most heartfelt sympathies" to Neil Armstrong's family in a statement released Aug. 26. 

"Mr. Armstrong rightly belongs to the ages as the man who first walked on the moon, a pioneer of space exploration and science. A giant. But to those of us in his Navy family, he will also remain a shipmate -- a naval aviator who flew nearly 80 combat missions during the Korean War. A leader," Mabus said. 

"He never wanted to be a living memorial, and yet to generations the world over his epic courage and quiet humility stands as the best of all examples," Mabus said. "It is not merely his 'small step' we admire; it is his very large and humble heart." 

"The world has lost a legend," Mabus said. "We have lost a friend, unique in our lifetime and never to be out of our minds." 

Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the the moon's Sea of Tranquility, or Mare Tranquillitatis on July 20, 1969. The moon's "seas," or maria, are not bodies of water but rather basalt plains that were formed by volcanic eruptions. They were name by early astronomers who mistook them to be actual seas. 

NASA's Sept. 13 public memorial service in Washington, D.C. will bring together dignitaries, community and political leaders, members of Armstrong's family and members of the NASA family, including current and former astronauts, to pay their respects to Armstrong. 

The ceremony, which will include remarks by NASA chief Charles Bolden, will be shown live on the space agency's television channel and streamed through its website. Very limited public seating is available at National Cathedral on a first-come, first-served basis, with advance reservation.

Follow collectSPACE on Facebook and Twitter @collectSPACE and editor Robert Pearlman @robertpearlman. Copyright 2012 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.

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[katowski]

Reflections on the Death of Neil Armstrong - Why I'm One of the (Few Million) Luckiest Persons in the World by Sheldon


While I did not know Neil Armstrong personally, I knew that his death would affect me deeply, and it has. I had briefly pondered some months ago how I might react to his death, whenever it might occur, so I wasn't too surprised by the intensity of my grief after hearing of his passing.

I would have loved to have met Neil Armstrong, although he probably wouldn't have felt the same way about meeting me since he was by all accounts a very private person and would have been uncomfortable with the awe that I would have been unable to hide. He was evidently never comfortable with the fame that resulted from his being the first man on the moon. It has even been speculated that had he realized the degree to which his life was going to be changed by being the first, he would have opted to have been the second man on the moon.

Of course, a different astronaut could have been selected to have been the first man on the moon. But Neil Armstrong was the one chosen, probably due to his skills shown as a test pilot and as an astronaut on the near catastrophic Gemini 8 mission, but perhaps also due in part to his personality. He was evidently an unassuming modest man without the giant ego that seems to be common among test pilots. Yet Neil Armstrong somehow managed to retain his modesty and sense of self even after becoming the first man to land on the moon.

Consider this. The Earth is one of eight planets in orbit around our Sun and our Sun is one star amongst the hundreds of billions of stars in our galaxy. There will be only one time and one mission in all of human history when we leave the Earth and a man first sets foot on another heavenly body. Apollo 11 was that mission, and Neil Armstrong was that man.

I was fortunate to have not just been alive in 1969 when this occurred but to have been at just the right age as well. I was old enough to appreciate the wonder of Apollo 11, yet not so old as to have become jaded or cynical as so often happens as one progresses through life. So were at least a few million other people. We were the lucky ones.

Neil Armstrong was my hero. I mourn his passing and I always will.

[audemus]

The Moon-Landing in 1969 was one of the proudest moments in my life. Even though I was a kid when it happened, I can still remember how this singular accomplishment brought our world together in peaceful, exuberant and unanimous pride.

Armstrong takes his rightful place at the head of the table surrounded by the greatest explorers our history has ever known.

Rest in Peace Neil Armstrong. Salute.

[Bojax39]

Think he should be cremated and launched with our next Mars probe. The first man on the moon should be the first on Mars as well.

[woozybarnes]

Brilliant idea Bojax39! I hope someone at NASA takes your suggestion. I think America could afford to spare at least a gram or 2 of space to take Mr. Armstrong's ashes to Mars. It would be a fitting way to honor one of our true space pioneers.

[Worx4me3]

What a class act Neil Armstrong was.

[stanley0301]

While Neil Armstrong had existence as a human like us all, it happens that his achievements rank at the very forefront of humanity, and as such he belongs to us all--from day one NASA has sought to have zero fame attach to him--he was chosen based on the likelihood that he would not seek fame from his accomplishments. However the time has come to put a stop to this absurdity and accord him the fame and respect he deserves--to bury him at sea and deprive humanity of the right to see and respect the tomb of one of mankind's greatest is an incredibly bad idea.
Stan

[ralphing]

Once you're dead, you're dead. There is no need for anyone to be buried in a dirt hole. No one existed on this planet before they were born, so there is no credible reason why they should be after death. Stick a plaque someplace and let people go look at it, since that is all you would see if he was buried. When you send someone into space, all they send is about a teaspoon of ashes. Neil's body should be placed under the engine nozzle of the next rocket going into space. That's the kind of cremation I would want.