Neil Armstrong RIP

[DirectorDave]

A decendent of Scottish border reivers......the first human being to step on another world.

Wherever our species travel to amoungst the stars he was the pioneer.

RIP.

[Monty]

The ultimate pioneer.

I was named after him....my parents could have made a far worse choice.

Proud to have carried that name, and that won't change.

Monty

[Cogidubnus]

Blimey Neil you must be even younger than I thought...A good man's name to carry through life though as you say...

All the best

Dave

[Robert]

Yes, a far worse choice woud have been to call Monty "Buzz Bell."

[Monty]

Good luck Mr Gorsky.

Here's my favourite Neil Armstrong story.

Total fiction, but its a good one.

On the moon Armstrong was supposed to say 'This one's for you, Mr Gorsky', or 'Good Luck Mr Gorsky', depending upon the source. Supposedly when questioned Armstrong refused to say why he said this until eventually he admitted that it came from when he and his brother played ball in their back yard when they were kids. One day the ball went into a neighboor's yard - a neighbour who didn't like the tearaway Armstrong boys much. After climbing on the extension roof to get his ball Armstrong overheard them arguing in the bedroom: "Oral sex? oral sex? I'll give you oral sex when one of those boys next door walks on the moon..."

Monty

[DrHopper]

Here's my favourite Neil Armstrong story.

Total fiction, but its a good one.

On the moon Armstrong was supposed to say 'This one's for you, Mr Gorsky', or 'Good Luck Mr Gorsky', depending upon the source. Supposedly when questioned Armstrong refused to say why he said this until eventually he admitted that it came from when he and his brother played ball in their back yard when they were kids. One day the ball went into a neighboor's yard - a neighbour who didn't like the tearaway Armstrong boys much. After climbing on the extension roof to get his ball Armstrong overheard them arguing in the bedroom: "Oral sex? oral sex? I'll give you oral sex when one of those boys next door walks on the moon..."

Monty

Love that story, one of my favourite urban legends!
Genuinely saddened - a real, true, hero.

[Errata]

Surrounded by throttle jockeys and hot heads, Neil Armstrong stayed calm and focused. Not just on the moon, but through his entire NASA career. That he was the first man on the moon was the result of a coin toss. That he was the Commander of that mission, that they dedicated that mission to the entire world, and not just the US, that he accepted the fame of his accomplishment with quiet dignity and did not pursue publicity, that is what made him a Hero.

He was never my favorite astronaut, but he was the rock of that program. A steady, calm, quiet man who anchored the wackier personalities of his comrades.

[sdreid]

Yes, R.I.P Neil.

Not only landed on the moon but flew orbital in Gemini and atmospheric tests in another spacship, the X-15. He was also named in the first group of astronauts for the orbital Air Force Project MISS that came before Mercury but was canceled in favor of it.

[Jonathan H]

Armstrong the Comedian

A very great and very modest person has died.

But the mass media are making Armstrong out to be a kind of pious, humourless recluse, who shunned the limelight.

This is true as far as it goes, especially compared to the more media accessible and refreshingly candid Aldrin, but Armstrong did appear with Bob Hope on a USO tour of 'South' Viet Nam -- performing a good-natured comedy routine for the troops like other celebrity guests -- and then appeared at the Dean Martin Roast of Hope in the mid 70's.

Al eclectic group was assembled which included Gov. Reagan and Mark Spitz and Gen. Bradley, et. al. Armstrong comes on about 5:53ish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_rh5zzKiP4&feature=relmfu

[Archaic]

It's been interesting reading the comments. Thanks everyone.

A pretty cool man to be named after, Neil!

My Dad was an aerospace engineer and worked on the Apollo missions. I'm very proud of him. He always had immense respect for the astronauts.

Best regards,
Archaic

[Limehouse]

I would say of Neil Armstrong that his was a life well lived. RIP

[jason_c]

Surrounded by throttle jockeys and hot heads, Neil Armstrong stayed calm and focused. Not just on the moon, but through his entire NASA career. That he was the first man on the moon was the result of a coin toss. That he was the Commander of that mission, that they dedicated that mission to the entire world, and not just the US, that he accepted the fame of his accomplishment with quiet dignity and did not pursue publicity, that is what made him a Hero.

He was never my favorite astronaut, but he was the rock of that program. A steady, calm, quiet man who anchored the wackier personalities of his comrades.

I read somewhere about one of his early NASA test flights. The flight ended in near disaster with Armstrong barely getting out alive. NASA were able to record his body statistics from the ground. His heart rate & pulse rate remained stupidly low throughout the entire incident.

[Archaic]

Neil Armstrong & Blue Moon

From National Public Radio, 8/31/12:

For some, the Aug. 31 blue moon will take on additional significance as it's the day of the memorial service for Neil Armstrong, the first person to set foot on the moon. Armstrong died on Saturday at the age of 82.

Armstrong's family released a statement that day that said, in part:

“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.”


For the sake of our non-U.S. friends I thought I'd mention that all the flags have been flying at half-staff to mourn Armstrong's passing, including those at schools and fire stations.

I expected Armstrong to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington D.C., but he wanted to be buried in his hometown in Ohio.

Best regards,
Archaic

[Lord Lucan]

I would say of Neil Armstrong that his was a life well lived. RIP

I think that sums things up perfectly.

[Errata]

I read somewhere about one of his early NASA test flights. The flight ended in near disaster with Armstrong barely getting out alive. NASA were able to record his body statistics from the ground. His heart rate & pulse rate remained stupidly low throughout the entire incident.

It was the "Flying Bedstead" test, which is essentially sitting on a rocket turned upside down. He lost control and had to bail out, despite the fact that the bedstead never got high enough for a safe jump. It exploded on the ground about a second after he bailed. His only complaint was that he had bit his tongue.