Sincere condolences to the family of Neil Armstrong. Having recruited and facilitated the hire of Fighter Pilots (including Top Gun), Test Pilots and an Astronaut -- I have the highest personal regard and respect for true American Heros like NEIL ARMSTRONG.
Glad you made it Neal! We were all rooting for you. Thanks to you, your team and the American People, we were not just citizen's of the earth anymore. We expanded our horizons.
"...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."
Actually, I often do just that. Or at least I look at the moon and marvel to know that there are actually human footprints there. That there were actually people walking around up there.
I'm so grateful to have been born when I was. I remember being glued to the television set for John Glenn's first mission. And almost holding my breath as Armstrong "seat of his pants" flew the lunar module along the surface of the moon, looking for an appropriate place to land. Would he make it down before his fuel ran out? Would the space suits hold up to the rigors of the tasks they were to do while on the surface? Would the lunar module make it back up and dock with the command module?
Yes, technology continues to grow, but I don't think anything can compare to seeing a human on the face of another world for the first time. The next new iPhone or iPad just seems to pale in comparison with knowing that men actually went to the moon with less computer technology than we know have in our average wrist-watch.
In grade school we all learned that, "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." And centuries now, children will be learning that, in 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first man to stand on non-earth soil.
Even when we finally land a manned mission on Mars, it won't have quite the impact.
And all from a man who continued to maintain that he was just "doing my job."
*** Jaylah, I just get you figured out as a tool, and then you say something that strums my heart like a harp. Maybe somewhere there is a footprint that makes us all whole. :)
Don't try to "figure me out". :) I don't fit any of the molds. I'm not a "Democrat", I'm not a "Republican", I'm not a "liberal", I'm not a "conservative." I do my own reading, and then my own thinking, and I decide where I stand on the issues based on that. Not on what any "talking head" tells me.
"He was in the first group of civilian astronauts ..."
Neil Armstrong was the first civilian astronaut and the only civilian among the nine members of the second group of astronauts, appointed in 1962. There was also one civilian, Rusty Schweickart, among the fourteen astronauts in the third group appointed in 1963. The first group of civilian astronauts was the fourth group, consisting of six scientists, appointed in 1965. One of them, Harrison Schmitt, was the twelve and last human to step onto the moon and the only civilian other than Armstrong to do so. Following the NASA procedure Schmitt returned to the lunar module ahead of Eugene Cernan, a naval officer, so Schmitt was not the last human on the moon.
Mr. Armstrong, I remember staying awake and watching you land on the moon. I have taught both of my children about you and your bravery. They have known for years now, that you exemplify the best of the American character. We will think of you as we watch the night sky. Thank you for all you have shown us.
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RIP
Actually, I often do just that. Or at least I look at the moon and marvel to know that there are actually human footprints there. That there were actually people walking around up there.
I'm so grateful to have been born when I was. I remember being glued to the television set for John Glenn's first mission. And almost holding my breath as Armstrong "seat of his pants" flew the lunar module along the surface of the moon, looking for an appropriate place to land. Would he make it down before his fuel ran out? Would the space suits hold up to the rigors of the tasks they were to do while on the surface? Would the lunar module make it back up and dock with the command module?
Yes, technology continues to grow, but I don't think anything can compare to seeing a human on the face of another world for the first time. The next new iPhone or iPad just seems to pale in comparison with knowing that men actually went to the moon with less computer technology than we know have in our average wrist-watch.
In grade school we all learned that, "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." And centuries now, children will be learning that, in 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first man to stand on non-earth soil.
Even when we finally land a manned mission on Mars, it won't have quite the impact.
And all from a man who continued to maintain that he was just "doing my job."
Take a ride on the Horsehead Nebula for me, Neil.
There is.
We're all too busy fighting each other to see it... :(
Neil Armstrong was the first civilian astronaut and the only civilian among the nine members of the second group of astronauts, appointed in 1962. There was also one civilian, Rusty Schweickart, among the fourteen astronauts in the third group appointed in 1963. The first group of civilian astronauts was the fourth group, consisting of six scientists, appointed in 1965. One of them, Harrison Schmitt, was the twelve and last human to step onto the moon and the only civilian other than Armstrong to do so. Following the NASA procedure Schmitt returned to the lunar module ahead of Eugene Cernan, a naval officer, so Schmitt was not the last human on the moon.