Neil armstrong dies

[poppa smurf]

first man to walk on the moon.......I remember sitting in front of the old black and white telly, eyes agog, mind full of imaginings of what monsters are up there

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/TopS...82_787882.html

R.I.P. Neil........first of the galactic explorers.....well done

where to next?.....will we walk on mars!

wondrous days indeed when everything and anything was possible.....I still look up in absolute awe that a man walked on that lump of rock

[mex351]

Wow sad news...RIP

[DJR-351]

Very sad news indeed.......RIP Neil.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCt1BwWE2gA

[Road_Warrior]

You know, there are some things in life that you perceive to be a constant, i.e. they will always be there no matter what. Neil Armstrong was one of those things. Hard to beleive he's gone.

RIP to one of history's greatest pioneers and explorers. Godspeed Neil.

[poppa smurf]

well said ........"godspeed" indeed!.......very brave man....not sure if I have what it would take to sit atop what is basically an explosive device shooting off to the unknown with outcome unsure

an inspiration to many

[Moby Vic]

One of the most interesting things about Armstrong was how he disappeared from the public eye after walking on the moon.

Buzz Aldrin is much more public than Armstrong was—he was even on an episode of The Simpsons!

A few years back I read Michael Collins' book Carrying the Fire. I highly recommend it. It's a fascinating read. It's the story of his life up through the moon landing (of course he was the one orbiting in Columbia the whole time).

[Resurrection]

Originally Posted by Moby Vic

One of the most interesting things about Armstrong was how he disappeared from the public eye after walking on the moon.

And what happened at that time has disappeared into the grave with Neil.

[zilo]

a lot of those who went into space went hyper-religious.

[davenl5l]

sad day indeed watching the moon landing was a highlight of my childhood still love space and sci fi to this day RIP to a great man

[FGII-XR6]

A true pioneer. he really went where no man had been before
RIP

[Rodp]

I can't even fathom the balls it takes to strap yourself inside a somewhat controlled explosion and be shot at the moon with the real chance of never making it back to Earth. To stand on the surface and look back at what we all call home must have been both humbling and lonely at the same time.

A true pioneer and a true hero.

[2011G6E]

Go outside tonight and have an extra good look at the moon, and realise that this great mans footprints are still there and will be for all time.
Sadly we've never been back to do more...possibly in the future, and most likely the Chinese.

And sadly that's what gives the most ammunition to the "we never went to the herpa derp moon" nutjobs.

The easiest answer to give one of those morons is this: Imagine you have a virtually unlimited budget, with almost 100% public approval behind the project, racing a nation seen as an enemy or ideological opposite to your own and which the public also doesn't like much, with the basic premise that it was a coin toss as to whether the guys you sent would even get back safely (and you didn't really mind that)...it simply couldn't be done now.
Too many committees, too many funding inquiries, to much public mistaken belief that "the money could be spent better elsewhere", no opponent to race against, and not to mention the fact that if you put forward a project that would most likely result in the horrible deaths of the men you send if one little thing went wrong, the government and public would be shocked and terrified by it and crucify you at the next election, and it's no wonder we've never been back...

People who have little or no interest in the subject don't realise the risks those three brave men (and those who followed) accepted, faced, and endured to do what they did. Remember the "announcement in case of the astronauts being stuck on the moon" script for the President that came to light a few years ago? Remember Apollo 13 and how easily that could have had a very different outcome?
In the publics mind today, Risk isn't seen as something to be embraced and overcome to do magnificent things. We cry over one soldiers death in a war and call for them all to be brought home because it's too "risky", forgetting that our forefathers faced wars where many thousands of men could be lost in an afternoon virtually without batting en eyelid to achieve some target.

We see ideas now for manned missions to the Moon and Mars, and the public gets all antsy about it..."think of the risk to the astronauts"...and so on.


Niel Armstrong faced those risks, accepted them, overcame them, and did the single greatest thing any human has ever done, and the world is a poorer place for his passing. I honestly doubt we shall see his like again.

(PS: here's the text of that letter I mentioned which has been verified as what the President would have announced to the nation (spookily it says he has to personally phone the "widows to be")
Makes you realise what a huge risk they took, and were willing to face...if they'd pressed the button to launch back from the Moons surface and nothing happened, that was it...if they couldn't fix it pretty quickly, there was literally no way to save them.

[Burnout]

An explorer, teacher, engineer, and Gentleman.
Well done Neil..... We are the better due to you and others of rare cloth.

[Mickxr8]

A true pioneer , may he RIP .

[MITCHAY]

RIP Neil. It would have been terribly scary and exciting to strap yourself in for that ride but ultimately he is forever a part of world history.

The only comparable thing to what he did would be if we ever landed on another planet and still would not be close. I could not imagine how good that would of felt.

If I could ever have the opportunity and the money I would go there in a heartbeat and it was those blokes who proved it was possible.

[MWTB]

Heard plenty of conspiracy theory crap today, glad I didn't see any in this thread. Regardless of whether he went to the moon or not (I'm a believer), to be one of the first to strap in and go into space makes him pretty special I think.

R.I.P

[JG33]

FAMILY STATEMENT REGARDING THE DEATH OF NEIL ARMSTRONG

WASHINGTON -- The following is a statement from the Armstrong family regarding the death of former test pilot and NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong. He was 82.

“We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures.

Neil was our loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.

Neil Armstrong was also a reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job. He served his Nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut. He also found success back home in his native Ohio in business and academia, and became a community leader in Cincinnati.

He remained an advocate of aviation and exploration throughout his life and never lost his boyhood wonder of these pursuits.

As much as Neil cherished his privacy, he always appreciated the expressions of good will from people around the world and from all walks of life.

While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves.

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

[JG33]

Statement from Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 lunar module pilot:

“I am very saddened to learn of the passing of Neil Armstrong today. Neil and I trained together as technical partners but were also good friends who will always be connected through our participation in the Apollo 11 mission. Whenever I look at the moon it reminds me of the moment over four decades ago when I realized that even though we were farther away from earth than two humans had ever been, we were not alone. Virtually the entire world took that memorable journey with us. I know I am joined by millions of others in mourning the passing of a true American hero and the best pilot I ever knew. My friend Neil took the small step but giant leap that changed the world and will forever be remembered as a landmark moment in human history. I had truly hoped that in 2019, we would be standing together along with our colleague Mike Collins to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of our moon landing. Regrettably, this is not to be. Neil will most certainly be there with us in spirit.

“On behalf of the Aldrin family, we extend our deepest condolences to Carol and the entire Armstrong family. I will miss my friend Neil as I know our fellow citizens and people around world will miss this foremost aviation and space pioneer

[JG33]

Originally Posted by JG33

Statement from Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 lunar module pilot:

“I had truly hoped that in 2019, we would be standing together along with our colleague Mike Collins to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of our moon landing. Regrettably, this is not to be

Sad to see he won't be there....RIP Neil Armstrong

[Sprint]

What about the people who think the landing was fake?to beat the russians cold war.

just saying.

[stevejg33]

I remember being sent home from school so we could all watch the moon landing on tv. Was a mind blowing event. R.I.P. Neil, you are a true legend. It's a shame we never went back, especially with the technology we have today. Back then it was dream for the stars, nowadays the world is just so short sighted.
Hopefully we will go back there soon, have seen the first man walk on the moon, just waiting to see the first person to walk on Mars.

Regarding whether the landings were faked, here's a couple of links to photos of the Apollo 11 & 14 landing sites as taken from the Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter (you can even see the footprints)

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/ba...ne-giant-leap/

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/ba.../13/3d-apollo/

[LTDHO]

Sad loss.

However, I'm a non believer.

RIP Neil.

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by Sprint

What about the people who think the landing was fake?to beat the russians cold war.

Given the overwhelming evidence of the landings plus corroboration from the Russians at the time and more recently the probes and imaging satellites from NASA, the Japanese and the Indians that have mapped the landing sites, you'd have to have your head buried deep in the sand to still believe the whole thing was a hoax.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by Sprint

What about the people who think the landing was fake?to beat the russians cold war.

just saying.

They're idiots. Full stop. Perhaps these pictures are fake as well...
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LR...ollosites.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-p..._Moon_landings


Does anyone honestly think that if there was even a sniff of a fake, the Russians would have blasted it all over the world as proof that the decadent west and its inferiority?
Unfortunately, the die hard conspiracy nutbars reply to this question with "Well obviously the Russians were in on it too..."

[poppa smurf]

simply incredible stuff from incredibly brave and clever people!

[JG66ME]

I remember watching it on TV. I was living in Zambia at the time and even they had it live. I was 8 years old at the time and went mad for it, building model Apollo 11s out of dish washing liquid bottles and cardboard tubes.

Sad day but the memories are great.

Thank you Neil, Buzz and Michael.

[2011G6E]

Great political and social leaders come and go and are forgotten after a hundred years...Neil Armstrongs' name and deeds will be remembered in a thousand years time.

Coincidentally I just saw that Dr Who episode "Day Of The Moon", and the Doctor says a very good quote to one of the bad guys regarding the moon landing:
"Do you know how many people are watching this live on the telly? Half a billion. And that's nothing, because the human race will spread out among the stars-you just watch them fly. Billions and billions of them, for billions and billions of years. And every single one of them at some point in their lives will look back at this man taking that very first step and they will never ever forget it."

[bathurst77]

A movie worth finding and watching is "In the shadow of the moon" lots of interviews with the lunar astronauts on how they felt, what they did and how it changed their lives.
When you see the look in their eyes when they talk about it, you KNOW it was real.

[MITCHAY]

Originally Posted by bathurst77

A movie worth finding and watching is "In the shadow of the moon" lots of interviews with the lunar astronauts on how they felt, what they did and how it changed their lives.
When you see the look in their eyes when they talk about it, you KNOW it was real.

This is going to be on SBS tomorrow at 9:30pm

[Supel_11]

Not good to hear rip mate