Neil Armstrong Death

Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died at age 82, leaving citizens of Earth to mourn the death of the First Man On The Moon, who declared his moonwalk "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Neil Armstrong's cause of death is said to be from complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures.

Neil Alden Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930 and grew up to become a distinguished veteran who served in the United States Navy and survived after being shot down in the Korean War.

An alumnus of the University of Southern California (UCLA) in Los Angeles, Neil Armstrong was a test pilot at the Mojave Desert's Edwards Air Force base in California's Antelope Valley near Lancaster, where he flew almost 1,000 flights.

In 1962, after 2-year-old daughter Karen Armstrong died of brain cancer complications, Neil Armstrong joined the NASA Astronaut Corps.  His debut spaceflight was the Gemini 8 mission, on which he was one of the first American civilians to fly in space.

Armstrong was Mission Commander of the legendary Apollo 11 moon landing mission on July 20, 1969, assisted by astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins. 

As The First Man On The Moon, Neil Armstrong became an instant worldwide megacelebrity.

Never before in human history had one man been simultaneously watched by a billion eyes as humanity heard the words, "The Eagle has landed," from 240,000 miles away in space.

Achieving a mythic status unknown to most humans, Neil Armstrong was never comfortable with his staggering fame and there was no place on Earth he could escape it.

As a boy, young Neil idolized aviator Charles Lindbergh, another pioneering global legend, whom Armstrong ultimately became connected to by history.  Just as Lindbergh did, Armstrong also sought refuge from the public and overwhelming worldwide adoration.

The celebrity spaceman was dubbed "The Lunar Lindbergh."

It has been pointed out that Neil Armstrong was the first man seen at once by the whole world and that Jesus Christ will be the last.  Many consider it a miracle that Armstrong was able to live to 82 years of age under such pressure.

Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, and a multitude of other honors during his long life.

A personification of the union of man and technology, the astronaut described himself by stating:  "I am, and ever will be, a white-socks, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer."

Still today, astronaut Neil Armstrong's iconic image of a human male planting an American Flag on the moon is burned into the subconscious memory of humanity as much as Moses holding The Tablets and Christ on The Cross.

A fascinating post-Apollo 11 media interview of Armstrong from 1970 can be seen in the video below.

The late Neil Armstrong is survived by wife Carol Knight Armstrong, with whom he renewed his vows in Montecito, California.  Also mourning the death of Neil Armstrong are his two children, two stepchildren, ten grandchildren and two siblings.

"We changed how man looks at himself, and what he might become, and where he might go."

Neil Armstrong 1930-2012