Neil Armstrong, R.I.P. (Off Topic)

I was with a group of about 15 people in Ensenada, Mexico. We made a run for the border to get home in time to watch it. Unfortunately we got held up at the border and hit the closest bar we could find. So we watched it in San Ysidro, CA.

Only those who were already born.

Yes I remember VIVIDLY!

I remember too. Mom and Dad made us kids watch. They said this "is history being made"

Glad they did.

RIP Mr. Armstrong

It had to come, but it's still a sad day.

After the May, 1961 address to Congress, JFK told NASA Flight Director Christopher Columbus Kraft (real name) that he wanted to get to the Moon before the end of 1970 and he would do everything he could to get the funding. It was a go! When Neil Armstrong saved Gemini VIII from failure, NASA knew he was the guy to land on the Moon. RIP

He played the lead in a great day-after-birthday gift to a boy mad about rockets and the future. And his life after the flight was an example of avoiding the pitfalls of celebrity. Well done, sir, goodbye.


Now the actuarial tables tell us we're due to start losing a moonwalker evey year and a half or so. Thus passes all the world's glory...

Nasa and all the astronauts were the most awesome thing ever when I was young. Sending men to the moon and returning them safely. RIP Neil.

Cheo D. Of moonwalkers we have lost Charles Conrad, Jr. Apollo 12, Alan Shepard, Jr., Apollo 14 and, now, Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11.

I wasn't born yet when the moon landing happened, but the first school I attended was named for Armstrong. RIP Neil....

She packed my bags last night pre flight
Zero hour nine a.m.
And I'm gonna be high, as a kite by then
I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no, no, no, I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

@SuperDude: Plus Jim Irwin (15) (was the first to go, at only 61). Of course the Apollo astronauts tended to be above average in terms of health and fitness so they've trended towards the high end of the longevity tables.

Although I'm hardly an astronomer I follow moon phases more closely than most. Watched the "first quarter" on my 90-minute drive home Friday nite, so Saturday's news was poignant.

***************************************

Neil Armstrong’s loved ones said they were “heartbroken” to share the news that the former astronaut and first person to step foot on the moon had died Saturday of complications from heart surgery.

“Neil was our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend,” the family statement said. “As much as Neil cherished his privacy, he always appreciated the expressions of goodwill from people around the world and from all walks of life.

“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.”

********************************

From a FB post:

Neil Armstrong, First Man on Moon

Leaves this World once again.

Safe Travels, Commander

********************************************

He was a pioneer and what has happened to the space program since is nothing short of criminal. The only reason we are where we are today with technology is because of the ideas that were inspired because going to the moon. We are now spending trillions to pay people to sit in government housing and contribute nothing. Shame on us for allowing it to happen. The government/ the obamanation want to return us to past time where the feudal lords own everything and we are the serfs that serve. Only free men can aspire to the stars and that is why the dream of Nasa exploring that stars was shut down years ago.

Oh god! Show a little decency when someone great dies and don't try to use is an occasion to get on your political soapbox.

Thank you Dougster! My thoughts exactly.

RIP, Neil. You were modest and didn't seek the limelight. Thank you for your contributions to discovery.

Yep, he was one of the good ones. Never did anything memorable when memorable things were happening. Just glued to them bw tv with the rest of them. RIP.