The schedule called for the astronauts to sleep before the first moonwalk, but they elected to go outside early because they felt they would not be able to sleep. In view of a black-and-white television camera transmitting his movements live to Earth, Armstrong descended Eagle's lander and touched his left foot upon the surface at p. His first words were "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. Armstrong and Aldrin together explored the surface during a moonwalk that lasted 2 hours and 36 minutes.
They collected The Eagle's crew lifted off safely from the moon on July 21, docked with Columbia, and voyaged back to Earth for a successful ocean landing on July The astronauts went into quarantine to mitigate the unlikely risk that they were carrying some sort of moon germs back with them, and then embarked on a world tour to celebrate the mission. After his time as an astronaut, Armstrong was deputy associate administrator for aeronautics at NASA headquarters.
He resigned from NASA in From to , he was a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Armstrong also participated in the Rogers Commission, which was a presidential commission tasked to look at the causes and events of the fatal Challenger shuttle explosion of Jan.
Armstrong chose to mostly stay out of the spotlight after leaving NASA, although he did reappear periodically for interviews or for anniversary events concerning Apollo Although his public statements were few, he followed spaceflight news and occasionally made public comments on what was happening.
He remained a vocal supporter of suborbital spaceflight. On the other hand, the former Apollo astronaut was publicly critical of plans to shift crewed spaceflight from NASA to private spacecraft.
On Aug. Complications from the surgery resulted in his death on Aug. Tributes poured in from many public figures, including President Barack Obama, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, then-NASA administrator Charles Bolden, Apollo 11 crewmates Aldrin and Collins, and various space representatives in the public, private and nonprofit spheres.
They set out to show the world that the American spirit can see beyond what seems unimaginable — that with enough drive and ingenuity, anything is possible. A private memorial service for Armstrong was held Aug. The hatch opened on the opposite side where Aldrin was seated. Donald "Deke" Slayton, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts and NASA's director of flight crew operations, said allowing Armstrong to walk first was a basic protocol change.
Armstrong said he was "never asked [his] opinion" if he wanted to be the first man out, according to the same historical account. The former naval pilot's mild manner made him a good candidate to represent the United States and better equipped to handle the pressure of celebrity. Armstrong, who died in , is often remembered as a humble hero, who famously steered clear of the spotlight.
For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. The Launch Control Center — which housed the team of people responsible for overseeing the launch from the ground — was situated 3. Neil said that while there, he could hold up his thumb and block out the Earth! He said that the Moon felt lonely, but that it made him realise just how beautiful our home is.
He found the press attention exhausting, and decided that he wanted to be a teacher of engineering in his home state of Ohio.
Armstrong remained at the university for eight years. Staying active in his field, he served as the chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc. Helping out at a difficult time, Armstrong served as vice chairman of the Presidential Commission on the space shuttle Challenger accident in The commission investigated the explosion of the Challenger on January 28, , which took the lives of its crew, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe.
Despite being one of the most famous astronauts in history, Armstrong largely shied away from the public eye. In a rare interview for the news program 60 Minutes in , he described the moon to interviewer Ed Bradley: "It's a brilliant surface in that sunlight.
The horizon seems quite close to you because the curvature is so much more pronounced than here on earth. It's an interesting place to be. I recommend it. Even in his final years, Armstrong remained committed to space exploration. The press-shy astronaut returned to the spotlight in to express his concerns over changes made to the U.
He testified in Congress against President Barack Obama 's decision to cancel the Constellation program, which included another mission to the moon. Obama also sought to encourage private companies to get involved in the space travel business and to move forward with more unmanned space missions. Taking this new decision, Armstrong said, would cost the United States its leadership position in space exploration.
If the leadership we have acquired through our investment is simply allowed to fade away, other nations will surely step in where we have faltered. I do not believe that would be in our best interests," he told Congress.
Armstrong , was published in It was written by James R. Hansen, who conducted interviews with Armstrong, as well as his family, friends and associates.
The book was later adapted for a biopic, with First Man hitting theaters in Armstrong married Janet Shearon on January 28,
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