RIP Neil Armstrong

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

While NASA is enjoying the success and excitement of the Curiosity rover that recently landed intact on Mars, we have just lost one of the most unique people in the world.

 

Neil Armstrong, first human being to walk on the moon, died today at age 82. The Apollo program was slightly before my time - I was born nearly a year after Armstrong took his one small step - but I am still in awe of the technological and cultural significance of what they did, and I often wish I had been born 10+ years earlier so I could have witnessed the whole thing live.

 

It's hard to justify going to the moon again when you've already been there, but it's still sad to know that this XKCD comic accurately reflects reality:

 

 

If you go to the link I provided and hover your mouse cursor over the cartoon, you see this profound text:

 

The universe is probably littered with the one-planet graves of cultures which made the sensible economic decision that there's no good reason to go in to space - each discovered, studied, and remembered by the ones who made the irrational decision.

 

Rest in peace, Mr. Armstrong; you will be forever remembered as the first human to walk on another world.

 

[Mike]

I'm a bit older than you, and I remember distinctly the day that "we" landed on the moon. I still think of it as one of the great achievements of mankind, even more remarkable that it occurred over three decades ago. It was certainly an impressive technological achievement, but it was an even more impressive achievement when measured in terms of imagination, fortitude and sheer gutsiness.

 

Farewell, Commander Armstrong.

[Dave McReynolds]

I believe we need to continue to explore beyond Earth for many reasons. I'm sure that most people who were alive and aware then will always remember exactly what they were doing on the day Armstrong walked on the moon.

 

However, I also believe that most of the reasons for those one-planet graves have to do with cultures that poisoned or otherwise destroyed themselves rather than cultures that were destroyed by natural causes. Self-destructive tendencies don't magically disappear when the home planet is left behind. In order to be one of the surviving cultures, we need to gain wisdom more than we need to gain a foothold in another world.

[Bob Palin]

The BBC obituary (and only The Guardian does them better) said he was the most famous human in the universe - I wonder if that's true?

 

RIP Man On The Moon

 

[chrisd]

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

 

From his family's statement, “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.”

 

I will. Rest in peace, Sir.

[barryd]

I remember watching the landing coverage but years later learning the backstory of what happened during the approach is a discovery of what heroes are made of.

 

Taking manual control of the craft because the computer was overwhelmed, with only seconds of fuel remaining then landing on another world, gutsy doesn't begin to describe it.

 

RIP Mr Armstrong.

 

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

“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.”

 

Wow. Well said.

 

As a builder of launch propulsion systems, I often ask myself if I'd let this or that put me into space. Regardless, the answer is no and I understand the engineering....somewhat. The environment is just a little bit hostile. Neil, and a bunch of others, did it at a time when the technology was prepubescent and highly inefficient. It worked though didn't it?

They all had big brass ones.

[George S.]

That we did it with the technology and the designs that were rooted in the 1950s and were still evolving at the time of the launches, is what amazes me.

Pocket protector geeks with slide rules for computing.

 

Today's cars have more computing power in the engine management system than the Command Module or Lunar Module had available. Heck, more amazing than that is we have more in our smart phones than they had.

[Mike]

These missions were fraught with peril. This eulogy was readied for President Nixon, to be used in the event that Armstrong and Aldrin didn't return from the Moon's surface.

[Tom R.]

I was 12 when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. What I remember most in the weeks following was my father sitting on the front porch at night and staring up at the moon, knowing we had sent men there and successfully brought them home. As a tool & die machinist, dad had an engineer's mind. He was in awe at the accomplishment. Somehwere in my parent's collection of old Super 8 movies, we have video of our TV as they broadcast Armstrong jumping down that last step to land on the moon.

 

I thought of Neil Armstrong earlier this week. He lived in my hometown of Cincinnati. What a coincidence that Armstrong would die one week after my father. We buried dad this past Wednesday.

 

Since Dad's funeral, I changed my signature line here to honor my father. I included the quote in my father's eulogy as it accurately describes my dad. It also accurately describes Neil Armstrong.

[DiggerJim]

Pocket protector geeks with slide rules for computing.

Armstrong used to say that of himself - that he was just a white-sock wearing, pocket protector engineer :-) Awesome piece of work! We don't seem to be making any more of people like that now.

[Roadwolf]

In reading up on Neil Armstrong, I came upon this in depth interview of him with Stephen Ambrose and Douglas Brinkley in 2001. Absolutely fascination discussion on his life and what it was like to be the first man on the moon.

 

Interview with Neil Armstrong

[dba]

I can't even fathom the courage of Mr. Armstrong and the other astronauts. RIP Sir, you are the quintessential example of a hero.

[KevinH]

First Man is a must read.

 

Then again...any of the books by previous or active astronauts.

 

God Speed Neil Armstrong

[tallman]

I remember exactly where I was and who I was with at that moment.

 

RIP sir.

 

As a side note, most don't remember Eugene Cernan was the last of the 12 men who walked on the moon

and that both he and Neil were Purdue grads.

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

Went outside to look at the moon last night. I knew ISS was coming over at almost 90 degrees. What a sight it was and what an unfortunate turn of progress we've experienced since those great days of exploration. We know a lot more about long space duration now but, have been relegated to LEO for astronauts for 40 years.

 

Over the weekend, I visited the area where a friend lost his life last year skiing above Bridgeport in Alps-like terrain. I came home and saw the Armstrong news and it sort of put a different tenor on things. This friend was a bright rocket guy. His dad was a very bright rocket guy. His grandad was a really really bright rocket guy. He was one of "our" Germans. Sort of a mentor initially to Von Braun but, he didn't have a Von or Zu in front of his name.

 

Those days in the '60s were bold and daring. We were lucky to not lose any astronauts on missions. Somehow, I can't help but think if we had, it wouldn't have stopped the space race like the Shuttle accidents did. The imperatives have changed.

 

Hopefully, we can find a clear path out of the dithering about propulsion systems, designs, legacy bound thinking, infrastructure and politics to move forward to honor the legacy Neil and others left us.

[Glenn Reed]

Apparently, he kept being a positive influence right up to the end. Story Here

[chrisolson]

Interesting look at the aircraft and spacecraft in Armstrong's career ...

 

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/08/neil-armstrong-aircraft/?pid=2242&viewall=true

 

 

[DiggerJim]

We were lucky to not lose any astronauts on missions. Somehow, I can't help but think if we had, it wouldn't have stopped the space race like the Shuttle accidents did.

It might be a technicality as they hadn't launched so maybe weren't on a "mission" but let's not forget Grissom/White/Chaffee and the Apollo 1 launchpad fire.

 

On a side note, was there a worse job than manning the Command Module while your buds got to go down to the moon's surface? You traveled just as far and risked just about as much and you had to catch them once they left the moon and no one would remember your name unless you failed and left them to die spinning out into space. Docking with the lunar module must have been ulcer inducing.