"One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

"One small step for man....one giant leap for mankind" I was 5 years old when he uttered those words as he stepped onto the surface of the moon. I was in school watching in awe with my classmates as he became the first man to walk on the moon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19381098


Feel fee to post your personal experiences, but please refrain from any negative comments. A great man has died, I don't want to hear about the Apollo moon landings being fake or any other derogatory remarks.

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

My mum's due date was the day he took that step, so I remember nothing! My mum stayed up all night watching while trying to prod me into action (I was a week late in the end). It's meant I've always known and remembered the date though. It was the 21st July in the UK, but still the 20th in the USA, one of those facts useful for pub quizzes.

I did get a bit emotional at the news though. One of those people you think are superhuman and will never die! I think he should be remembered and admired for how he lived his life after he returned to earth, as much as for what he did ooutside it.

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

I was 18 months old and have just the vaguest of memories of something important happening, but I could have made those up...

What impressed me with the astronauts, and I believe Neil Armstrong epitomised exactly what people wanted to see in astronauts, was the fact that they did it - they sat on top of these rockets, at a time when the health & safety agencies weren't going around telling people they couldn't do things... they (astronauts) knew better than almost anybody how dangerous and risky these missions were. Three of their buddies, Gus Grissom, Ed White & Roger Chaffee, burned to death in the Apollo 1 fire on 27 Jan 1967. And they did it anyway. Sure, it was the Cold War and almost all of them were military etc, but they didn't take guns in to space, they took scientific instruments. And when they landed, with the Cold War raging in Europe, and a very hot conflict raging in Vietnam, they brought so many of the people of Earth together, just for that 1 brief moment...

Ships are not made to sit pretty and safe in harbour. They only do anything useful when they set sail, out on to the vast expanse of the ocean, with the chance of storms and other dangers... Without people like Neil Armstrong being those ships that leave harbour, I fear the tombstone for mankind will read "Here lies the Human Race. It had potential."

Farewell on your next voyage Neil Armstrong, and thank you.

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

In the immortal words of Shaun Ryder: "He had balls bigger than King Kong".

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

The 1st moon landing was a pivotal point in my early life. I was 7 at the time and I still have (very) vague recollections of watching it with my parents. It was that, long with the other Apollo missions that really fired my interest in science and technology. When I was 10 or so, I wrote to NASA, telling them I wanted to work there when I was a "grown up". They sent me a load of brochures, leaflets, posters and a NASA hat. There was also a job application form! Class act, those guys :)

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

Were you living in the US at the time.

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

Good Bye to my boyhood Hero. A modest man who avoided the spotlight and shunned the press. Many could learn lessons from his life.

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

Amen! :nod:

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

I was also 5 at the time but I don't remember much about it except people being amazed about landing on the moon. I do remember watching the last Apollo mission splashdown in the ocean on TV at school. Big old b/w TV set on stands.

Neil Armstrong achieved a feat just about any pilot would love to do, space flight, myself included. Sign me up for the Mars mission LOL

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

OK, your signed up! We'll send you to Mars first, if you don't die we'll know it's safe to send our astronauts up! :rofl:

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

Nope. In NW London at that time.

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

I was 9. I watched the landings on a B&W TV (which soon after expired in a mini mushroom cloud explosion to be replaced in 1970 by..... colour!) with James Burke doing the BBC commentary. The Apollo missions, followed in 1970 by the first flight flight of the Boeing 747 made me want to be a) a Pilot, b) an Engineer, c) an American. Some 30 odd years later I had achieved all three of those goals. So, for me the Apollo program was life changing. RIP Neil.

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

As I've said elsewhere - One of the very few who have left tremendous imprints on two worlds. He will still continue to inspire if we continue to aspire.

Re: "One small step for man...." Astronaut Neil Armstrong has died
 

RIP Neil. He was a true inspiration to me and my family, still is! I wasn't born when he took those famous steps, my brother got me hooked by taking me outside on the odd evening when we had a clear sky to look at the moon and stars. My very first project at primary school I chose to do it on space and went on from that :) One of the reasons I love living in Florida is being near KSC, we all have annual passes and go quite often, especially enjoy meeting the astronauts and hearing their stories :)