Neil Armstrong dead at 82

[Mando Knight]

RIP, first man on the moon.

(BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19381098), CBS (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57500382/neil-armstrong-1st-man-on-the-moon-dead-at-82/))

[Mikhailangelo]

One of the most important people in human history has passed. A black day indeed.

[Zorg]

He was, and will always be, an inspiration.

RIP

[Silverraptor]

To quote what I saw earlier today:

"One small death of a man, One giant death for mankind."

RIP

[Dusk Eclipse]

Sad day indeed, may he rest in Peace.

[The Succubus]

A legend is dead. Even these days, he had been pushing Congress to go further with its space development.

[Ravens_cry]

Neil Armstrong will be sorely missed; the world needs heroes like him.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Armstrong.
You flew higher than most and now you fly higher still.

[Mauve Shirt]

Wow, that's pretty young.... I guess that's what happens when you beat up your body as much as astronauts do.
Neil was a hero and an inspiration. RIP.

[factotum]

82 is pretty young? :smallconfused:

In any case, sad news indeed. I believe we are now down to 8 living humans who have walked on the surface of another world...how long before none of them are left and all we have of the Moon is dreams again?

[hamishspence]

Wow, that's pretty young.... I guess that's what happens when you beat up your body as much as astronauts do.

Test pilots- which was what the early astronauts mostly were- went through a lot.

[Cobalt]

The man was a hero of the species, deserving the greatest respect. I hope his family and friends are able to mourn in peace as he rests.

[Totally Guy]

‎"US astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, has died aged 82," reports BBC World News's Facebook feed.

217 likes.

[MonkeyBusiness]

‎"US astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, has died aged 82," reports BBC World News's Facebook feed.

217 likes.

Well, I suspect that number would be higher - or non-existant - if we were all clearer on what it was we "liked". I guess most people were "liking" Neil Armstrong, not his death. And if facebook had a "gasp of dismay" or "shed a tear" button, it would have been pushed a lot.

I agree with Succubus: it was amazing that Neil Armstrong was corageous enough to go to the moon and to walk upon it ... but that he remained active in encouraging space exploration is truly tremendous. He's a real hero.

Take care, Neil. Thanks for taking us to the moon.



.

[Lord Raziere]

*plays amazing grace on the bagpipes*

RIP, Neil Armstrong, may you walk on the moon of all our hearts forever.

[Aedilred]

One of those pieces of news that is inevitable and not terribly surprising but still rather sad. A genuine legend has passed from among us.

[Neftren]

82 is pretty young? :smallconfused:

In any case, sad news indeed. I believe we are now down to 8 living humans who have walked on the surface of another world...how long before none of them are left and all we have of the Moon is dreams again?

82 is actually pretty old. Life Expectancy is only around 78 years in the USA (as of 2010, courtesy of Google anyways). That, and going into space = lots of radiation.



Anyways, it's pretty amazing what they did with the technology on hand. I doubt I'd be brave enough to ride a gigantic missile into space and step out into vacuum...

[Ravens_cry]

You think that's scary, here's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_8#Emergency) what happened the first time he went into space.

[teratorn]

I always felt a little bit sad thinking about the other guys that had to settle for being second or third to step on the Moon. We have this thing to glorify the first guy, they were all brave, but this is the one people recognize by name.

Younger generations will have to settle for seeing live footage of robots on extra-terrestrial bodies. It's still exciting but it's not the same thing.

[Roc Ness]

Aww no. :smallfrown:

That man was an incredible hero of rare kind. His mark on mankind will not be forgotten.

[Kallisti]

"And up then spake brave Horatius, the Captain of the Gate:
To every man upon this earth, death cometh soon or late;
And what can man die better than facing fearful odds
For the ashes of his father and the temple of his gods?"

Rest in peace, sir.

[Haruki-kun]

Posted a couple hours ago on Reddit:

http://i.imgur.com/Gh40s.jpg

RIP.

[Neftren]

You think that's scary, here's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_8#Emergency) what happened the first time he went into space.

Okay, yeah that's pretty scary. :smallfrown:


I find it disappointing that America put a man on the Moon in 1969, but ... nothing greater has surpassed it.

[Ulysses WkAmil]

R.I.P. Played taps on the recorder when I found out. Not much coverage on the news. America's attention is drawn more to the death a terrorist than the first man to step on the {self scrubbed} MOON. Country of mine, I am disapoint. Very disapoint. We can talk hours about the porn found on Bin Laden's computer, but heaven forbid we remind people why America is(was?) #1 for more than a minute. (No offense to you non-american playgrounders, but it happened for a while there).
Also, I think the astronauts should have held hands and lept out together, so that none of them got screwed on the "FIRST!" thing. We could cover the semblance of little girls with a speech about unity or some crap.

[Cyrion]

Not too long ago I read his (and Collins' and Aldrin's) "First on the Moon." It's a good read for those interested in that sort of book. Even in print form 40 years after the event, reading the transcript of their landing broadcast can raise the hair on your arms.

Truly a modern hero.

RIP

[Riverdance]

Rest in peace Neil Armtstrong. Admittedly, I first read it as Neil Young and got really freaked out.

[Mando Knight]

Also, I think the astronauts should have held hands and lept out together, so that none of them got screwed on the "FIRST!" thing. We could cover the semblance of little girls with a speech about unity or some crap.
...I have a feeling that that kind of equality-first mindset would have been viewed as downright silly by the Apollo astronauts, given their military background and that sub-culture at the time...

[TheSummoner]

Men age and bodies die, but legends are forever.

R.I.P. Niel Armstrong, gone in body but immortal in spirit.

[Gnomish Wanderer]

Wow, Neil Armstrong, dead. I can hardly fathom it. What have I been doing with my life?

Rest in Peace, Neil.

[HeadlessMermaid]

...I have a feeling that that kind of equality-first mindset would have been viewed as downright silly by the Apollo astronauts, given their military background and that sub-culture at the time...
Nah, (sub)culture had nothing to do with it, there were safety concerns. After the landing, they waited for hours before stepping out. And Aldrin waited for almost 20 minutes before following Armstrong, while Armstrong was making sure that it's perfectly safe.

(It's sort of like playing D&D and coming to the edge of a possibly trapped pit. One PC may jump down to explore, but if the whole party jumps simultaneously, you're just looking for trouble. :smalltongue: )

Umm, hope that didn't ruin the mood.
RIP, Neil, and thank you.

[Ravens_cry]

Neil Armstrong was a civilian anyway.
Though he had been in the military previously, he left long before even Gemini 8, let alone Apollo 11.

[Mutant Sheep]

The first Moonwalker has passed. May we all accomplish a fraction of what he did. R.I.P.

[Tebryn]

Okay, yeah that's pretty scary. :smallfrown:


I find it disappointing that America put a man on the Moon in 1969, but ... nothing greater has surpassed it.

Ya...mapping the human genome, the Large Hadron Collider and discovering the Higgs...Cloning...we sure have been in a rut us humans.

[Skeppio]

:smallfrown: R.I.P. Neil Armstrong.

[Eldariel]

And so it goes. Let's hope we all will be able to do his memory justice and get this whole "space"-thingy going for real.

[Mono Vertigo]

As always, there is a relevant xkcd (http://xkcd.com/893/).
We've lost a great man, like we often do. It fortunate, though, that this one had the chance to live his life to the fullest. Soon enough, the particles making up his body will, in return, make up great astral bodies. Planets, moons, stars.

And now, I shall comfort myself by watching again that video of Buzz punching a moron who had it coming.

[Neftren]

Ya...mapping the human genome, the Large Hadron Collider and discovering the Higgs...Cloning...we sure have been in a rut us humans.

To be honest, I don't think any of those are greater than putting a man on the moon. Part of it is symbolic (at least, in my mind). The LHC and discovery of the Higgs was more a confirmation of "oh, good, our model wasn't completely bonkers," and well, cloning has some ethical issues attached to it.

[Eldritch Knight]

What I said on my facebook was:

'The Final Frontier seems much further today.'

[Ulysses WkAmil]

What I said on my facebook was:

'The Final Frontier seems much further today.'

If Shatner dies too I dobt we'll even remember space travel.

[Isolder74]

Farewell Hallowed Hero! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtQUePN5y40)

[razark]

No matter when or where humans may go in the future, whenever a list of those explorers is compiled, Neil Armstrong will always be the at the head of that list as the first human to set foot on a piece of ground that was not the earth.


However, I don't think that being the first to step on the moon, or even the first to pilot a craft to land on the moon, was a mark of what made Armstrong so amazing. He was simply lucky to be the one chosen for that assignment, and any of the other astronauts could have done everything he did on Apollo 11. To see what made Armstrong what he was, look at how he handled Gemini 8, and how he lived after Apollo 11. Hopefully his family can let him rest with the same humbleness and lack of attention with which he chose to live his life.

[teratorn]

His own words:

«I am, and ever will be, a white-socks, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer.»

[pendell]

Farewell and rest in peace. I don't know what wishes are appropriate for a test pilot. Maybe one day we can take some of his ashes back up to the moon and bury them in the sea of tranquility.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Hbgplayer]

Alas, even the great must pass. May we one day meet your lofty expectations, Mr. Armstrong! We bid thee farewell! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6H1AjTRU3A)

[Rockphed]

82 is pretty young? :smallconfused:

In any case, sad news indeed. I believe we are now down to 8 living humans who have walked on the surface of another world...how long before none of them are left and all we have of the Moon is dreams again?


I always felt a little bit sad thinking about the other guys that had to settle for being second or third to step on the Moon. We have this thing to glorify the first guy, they were all brave, but this is the one people recognize by name.


And now, I shall comfort myself by watching again that video of Buzz punching a moron who had it coming.

Buzz Aldrin still kicks trash and takes names. Here, watch him punch a conspiracy theorist. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wcrkxOgzhU) I really need to get his autograph.


His own words:

«I am, and ever will be, a white-socks, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer.»

I am surprised more engineering schools don't put this up next to his picture. I imagine if we told all the 10 year olds who want to be astronauts that he was an engineer, we would have fewer people to cast for Jersey Shore.

[GnomeFighter]

I am surprised more engineering schools don't put this up next to his picture. I imagine if we told all the 10 year olds who want to be astronauts that he was an engineer, we would have fewer people to cast for Jersey Shore.

They should do, but I fear by that point it is too late. Unfortunately children don't want to be astronauts when they grow up, like my generation did, which is a shame, but as someone who trained as an engineer I don't blame them. The problems with engineering run far deeper than kids wanting fame and money.

To me it is not that someone who stepped on the moon has died, but that someone who was an engineering hero, and such a good representative of engineering has died. He did what he did because it was the right thing and the good thing, not for the fame and money he could have had.