Former astronaut Neil Armstrong, whose 1969 moon landing transformed human exploration and made him the most famous aviator since Charles Lindbergh, spent the following decades shunning the limelight. But his death, at 82, confirmed Saturday, rekindled memories of that timeless achievement.
As commander of the Apollo 11 spacecraft and the first man to step on the lunar surface, Mr. Armstrong punctuated his exploit with the memorable phrase that it marked "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The mission forever changed man's view of space, transfixed people around the globe and mesmerized Americans, including nearly one million spectators who flocked to the Florida launch site.
But Mr. Armstrong, a private, self-effacing Midwesterner who gained prominence as a Navy flyer and civilian test pilot before delighting in calling himself a "nerdy engineer," resisted getting caught up in the hoopla. Bucking intense pressure to use his celebrity status for political purposes or personal gain, from the start he left it to others to ponder the significance and broader meaning of his accomplishment.
As commander of the Apollo 11 spacecraft and the first man to step on the lunar surface, Mr. Armstrong punctuated his exploit with the memorable phrase that it marked "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The mission forever changed man's view of space, transfixed people around the globe and mesmerized Americans, including nearly one million spectators who flocked to the Florida launch site.
But Mr. Armstrong, a private, self-effacing Midwesterner who gained prominence as a Navy flyer and civilian test pilot before delighting in calling himself a "nerdy engineer," resisted getting caught up in the hoopla. Bucking intense pressure to use his celebrity status for political purposes or personal gain, from the start he left it to others to ponder the significance and broader meaning of his accomplishment.
