Neil Armstrong has died
- Thread starter Zulu Romeo
- Start date
NebulaClassGuy
Lieutenant Commander
Aye, very sad news. At least nobody can say he didn't live his life to the fullest... I'd say walking on the surface of the Moon certainly fills that requirement.
RIP. 
My sister Neila was named after him.
My sister Neila was named after him.
One giant leap for mankind. 
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHJrDxDlQ-Q[/yt]
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHJrDxDlQ-Q[/yt]
So sorry to hear this. R.I.P., Mr. Armstrong.
He was a great man in so many respects. He is most remembered by being the first man to set foot on the moon, but that was not his greatest achievement. LANDING on the moon was the more impressive achievement. A lot of people don't know or remember how tenuous those last moments were, and how Neil made some very quick minded decisions that saved the mission. Being the first "team" on the moon should be thought of as attributed to both Armstrong and Aldrin.
Armstrong used his popular status for good measures and was such a respectable guy. I hope he's now on an even greater journey than the one that has inspired so many people.
R.I.P., Mr. Armstrong. He was a great man in so many respects. He is most remembered by being the first man to set foot on the moon, but that was not his greatest achievement. LANDING on the moon was the more impressive achievement. A lot of people don't know or remember how tenuous those last moments were, and how Neil made some very quick minded decisions that saved the mission. Being the first "team" on the moon should be thought of as attributed to both Armstrong and Aldrin.
Armstrong used his popular status for good measures and was such a respectable guy. I hope he's now on an even greater journey than the one that has inspired so many people.
John Gillespie Magee, Jr. has better words than I can come up with for Neil Armstrong.
"High Flight"
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark, or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
- Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
"High Flight"
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark, or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
- Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
It's an utter disgrace that Armstrong had to die in an America that hadn't put men on the moon in *forty* stinking years and had no concrete plans to do so again.
Let's be frank - men like those that made Apollo possible simply either do not exist or would not be allowed to operate today in NASA, the U.S. government more generally, or even our society as a whole.
Murray and Cox's book Apollo: Race to the Moon, published in 1989, already notes that the risk-taking mentality and spirit that motivated the early NASA was already dying by the time of Apollo 11. And its dead now. Today we're so risk-adverse that we're willing to throw away billions of dollars and waste years and decades rather than suffer the ignominy of failure.
Let's be frank - men like those that made Apollo possible simply either do not exist or would not be allowed to operate today in NASA, the U.S. government more generally, or even our society as a whole.
Murray and Cox's book Apollo: Race to the Moon, published in 1989, already notes that the risk-taking mentality and spirit that motivated the early NASA was already dying by the time of Apollo 11. And its dead now. Today we're so risk-adverse that we're willing to throw away billions of dollars and waste years and decades rather than suffer the ignominy of failure.
Very sad news to hear of the passing of a true giant of human history. The first human to set foot on the surface of another world, as long as our civilisation endures, this great man will be revered as a hero.
Like millions, I was born after the Apollo 11 landing, however I have been thrilled and captivated by the story and the footage of this great event all my life.
I hope that mankind will return to the moon in my lifetime, and I would dearly love to see a man or woman of any nationality set foot on Mars before my time is up, but this seems more unlikely with each passing year. But whenever we take the next step in the exploration of space, he or she will be following in the footsteps of the legend we have just lost.
Rest in peace Neil Armstrong.
BRG
Like millions, I was born after the Apollo 11 landing, however I have been thrilled and captivated by the story and the footage of this great event all my life.
I hope that mankind will return to the moon in my lifetime, and I would dearly love to see a man or woman of any nationality set foot on Mars before my time is up, but this seems more unlikely with each passing year. But whenever we take the next step in the exploration of space, he or she will be following in the footsteps of the legend we have just lost.
Rest in peace Neil Armstrong.
BRG
RIP to one of the great pioneers and heroes in human history. Godspeed into what is truly the final frontier.
This is devastating news. An age has passed. It's been a sombre night and a sombre morning here.
Neil Armstrong was, is and always will be the greatest explorer in Human history. And no doubt the one with the coolest head. The first landing on another world was a last-second, seat-of-the-pants improvisation. Not many people could do that. He was one of a kind.
But beyond that, he was a great guy. A wonderful role model. He was a quiet, modest, dignified man. Unfortunately, I can't find the quote right now, but I once heard him remark that there are two kinds of birds in the world: The kinds that talk and the kinds that fly. He was the kind that flew. You could search the world a thousand times over and not find a better man to represent Humanity's most shining moment.
I watched him take that first step on the Moon and I took this picture:
He came in peace for all mankind.
RIP, Neil Armstrong.
Neil Armstrong was, is and always will be the greatest explorer in Human history. And no doubt the one with the coolest head. The first landing on another world was a last-second, seat-of-the-pants improvisation. Not many people could do that. He was one of a kind.
But beyond that, he was a great guy. A wonderful role model. He was a quiet, modest, dignified man. Unfortunately, I can't find the quote right now, but I once heard him remark that there are two kinds of birds in the world: The kinds that talk and the kinds that fly. He was the kind that flew. You could search the world a thousand times over and not find a better man to represent Humanity's most shining moment.
I watched him take that first step on the Moon and I took this picture:
He came in peace for all mankind.
RIP, Neil Armstrong.
I would say that's mostly true, but as with anything space travel carrys a certain level of risk. i suspect most of thre Astronauts if asked after a disaster would still answer yes if asked to go on the next flight.
Astronauts are not just heroes for one country, but of the whole world...
Mr. Armstrong, good luck with your last leap into the great unknown.
Mr. Armstrong, good luck with your last leap into the great unknown.
Buzz Aldrin is still with us, isn't he?
Yeah, Buzz is still with us. Feisty and healthy as ever if I'm not mistaken.
^ Michael Collins is also still alive, I just checked.
As for Buzz: I loved it when he punched out that conspiracy nut.
As for Buzz: I loved it when he punched out that conspiracy nut.
Buzz once punched the lights out of one of the worst and most obnoxious Moon Hoax conspiracy theorists. The footage is on YouTube if you've never seen it. Just type in Buzz and Bart Sibrel.
Classic stuff. Buzz throws a good hook for a guy old enough to be most of our grandfathers.
Classic stuff. Buzz throws a good hook for a guy old enough to be most of our grandfathers.
^ Buzz = Badass.
And when you think about it, anyone who has ever been played by Bryan Cranston (in From the Earth to the Moon) will turn out to possess much badassery.
And when you think about it, anyone who has ever been played by Bryan Cranston (in From the Earth to the Moon) will turn out to possess much badassery.
Launching Bad.
Coming to AMC in 2014.
Coming to AMC in 2014.
^ 
Neil, OTOH, was played by Tony Goldwyn (in FTETTM). Not quite as badass, but still cool.
"Glenn for President, huh? Who'd be running for King?"
And I know I keep mentioning From the Earth to the Moon every time I say anything about the space program but I just can't recommend it highly enough. Best treatment of the space program I've ever seen!
Neil, OTOH, was played by Tony Goldwyn (in FTETTM). Not quite as badass, but still cool.
"Glenn for President, huh? Who'd be running for King?"
And I know I keep mentioning From the Earth to the Moon every time I say anything about the space program but I just can't recommend it highly enough. Best treatment of the space program I've ever seen!
Agree.
