Astronaut Neil Armstrong passed away at the age of 82 Saturday afternoon due to complications from heart surgery, his family has confirmed.
Armstrong commanded NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, and on July 20, 1969, he became the first man to land on the moon — as well as walk on its surface. Upon stepping on the moon, Armstrong uttered the now iconic statement, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Armstrong’s family reported his death at 2:45 p.m. this afternoon, NBC News reports. He was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930.
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During the Apollo 11 Mission, Armstrong and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin spent around two-and-a-half hours walking on the moon’s surface. Together, they broadcast the footage below to NASA and a rapt television audience worldwide, planted a U.S. flag, collected rocks, and took photos.
The mission would be his last: Armstrong went on to become deputy associate administrator for Aeronautics for NASA in Washington, D.C., and he later became professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati, according to his official biography.
Among his many honors, Armstrong was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Explorers Club Medal, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RMINSD7MmT4
