2012
The Nation’s Space Hero, Neil Armstrong, Passes Away
The first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, passes away Saturday from health complications.
On August 25, 2012, the world lost an iconic legend. Retired astronaut, Neil Armstrong, passed away at the age of 82 from health complications following heart surgery. Armstrong is most notable for commanding missions to space, including the first mission to land on the moon in July 1969. However, prior to his work with NASA, he was a naval aviator and upon retiring from NASA, became a professor at the University of Cincinnati in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
Armstrong was involved in several space expeditions prior to being selected as the commander of the mission to the moon. Along with Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins, Armstrong took off in Apollo 11 for the first lunar landing mission. Armstrong was not only the first person to set foot on the moon’s surface to utter the infamous words, “that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” but also planted the first flag on the moon.
Armstrong shied away from the spotlight post-lunar missions, he had become a public supporter of the Constellation Moon Program in recent years. While Armstrong may have passed on, his legacy is forever imprinted in history – and on the moon.
This entry was posted in Flag History, Flag News and tagged American Flag, Apollo 11, NASA, Neil Armstrong. Bookmark the permalink.
