RIP Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong died from complications from heart operations he had 3 weeks ago, NBC News' Jay Barbree reports.

A true American hero. We are all lessened by his passing.

Fly true, man.

Damn, very sad news indeed. A true hero to all of humanity.

Sad to hear.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

A true American hero. We are all lessened by his passing.

Agreed. The man was a class act.

Nevin73 wrote:
Quintin_Stone wrote:

A true American hero. We are all lessened by his passing.

Agreed. The man was a class act.

Thirded. I don't even know what to say other than "damn it."

He was a true inspiration.

I saw it on TV about 45 minutes ago....I thought it was a joke or a bad commercial at first...when I realized it wasnt...

May his return to the heavens be full of serenity.

I'm not sure many people can claim to have accomplished anything as monumental as Neil Armstrong.

I say first Moon/Mars colony should be called "Armstrong."

Bad week for Armstrongs

Sad, especially given the way we let the space program atrophy.

He was a hero to all of humanity, and one of my personal inspirations.

I normally don't get emotional when hearing about high profile people dying, but this is different.

I second the first Moon/Mars colony should be called "Armstrong."

Very sad loss. He'll always be an icon for human curiosity and determination.

RoutineMachine wrote:

Bad week for Armstrongs

Dude, you managed to make me laugh at a sad time.

Farewell, Commander, and we thank you. I hope we can find a way to carry your legacy forward.

That's really all I can say that isn't tangled up in a morass of frustration and anger at how we've staggered to a halt over the intervening years.

momgamer wrote:

.. how we've staggered to a halt over the intervening years.

Indeed. I salute him and his colleagues for their courage and willingness to take the risks they did. It was an inspiration even decades afterward.

I doubt now that I will see such an effort again in my lifetime. Humanity is too inward focused these days. Perhaps my kids will see it. I can hope anyway.

40+ years down the line, it is still an amazing accomplishment. A true hero and inspiration.

RIP

Sad news. Thank you Neil for your inspiration and courage.

Replay: Tour of the Moon (includes a landing site, not sure if it's the very first one or not from Apollo 17 though, the last mission)

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/aG6ek.jpg)

Double post.

momgamer wrote:

Farewell, Commander, and we thank you. I hope we can find a way to carry your legacy forward.

That's really all I can say that isn't tangled up in a morass of frustration and anger at how we've staggered to a halt over the intervening years.

Well said. I very much has a sad tonight.

Nicktock wrote:

I'm not sure many people can claim to have accomplished anything as monumental as Neil Armstrong.

I say first Moon/Mars colony should be called "Armstrong."

SpacePPoliceman wrote:

Sad, especially given the way we let the space program atrophy.

This and this.

Gimpy_Butzke wrote:

I normally don't get emotional when hearing about high profile people dying, but this is different.

I second the first Moon/Mars colony should be called "Armstrong."

Nor do I. I admire the kind conviction it takes to undertake a mission like that. The idea that a man with that depth of drive, vision, and ambition is gone, is a profound loss for human kind.

The circumstances of the first man to step onto the moon are secondary. All of the men who took the same risk at the same time deserve the same veneration. But that means that Mr. Armstrong deserves all of the credit he receives today, as do his crew on their days (may that never be needed).

On reddit someone posted, "have a drink and play sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon". I wish I could do this the right way, about now.

This is his cover story. He's actually on Mars right now, driving Curiosity. Stay curious, my friend.

Watching the moon landing is my first fully formed and imprinted memory. We'd gone to my grandparents house, because they had one of those giant buffet sized TVs. The kind that you had to warm up, and when it turned off, the picture would zoom down to a little bright dot before it flickered away.

I remember everyone holding their breath, I remember an entire neighborhood celebrating when Neil touched the lunar surface. I remember telling my grandfather that I was going to go to the moon someday as he flew me around the room, holding me aloft above the crowd in his strong bricklayer hands.

I still have my grandfather's collection of antique pulp sci-fi. I devoured it as a kid. I believed that someday, I would be wandering around a moon colony, tending to my moon garden, having moon tea with the Ladies Who Lunch On The Moon. I almost joined the Air Force in college, but that was back when they still didn't let women fly fighters or be test pilots...and flight experience was the only way I would ever be able to apply for the space program; I didn't have the science chops.

I cried when we lost the Challenger and the Columbia. I cried when they discontinued the shuttle program. I cried today because we lost a hero who gave a generation hope and dreams and kept us dreaming of horizons beyond our ken.

I love this picture of Neil Armstrong, taken right after his moon walk.

Not to get political, but I saw this posted on Twitter by Stephen Toulouse and wanted to share it:

The number of people confusing Lance Armstrong and Neil Armstrong right now is a testament to how Michele Bachmann is a congresswoman.