Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon, has died at the age of 82.

Other than teaching at the University of Cincinnati for a number of years after leaving NASA, he didn't do a great deal of note in his non-astronaut years -- unlike, say, John Glenn -- but, then, he didn't have to. He was part of both the Gemini and Apollo programs at NASA, and he walked on the Moon.

That, and that alone, is enough to establish his place in history.

"Neil was among the greatest of American heroes," said President Obama. "And when Neil stepped foot on the surface of the moon for the first time, he delivered a moment of human achievement that will never be forgotten."

I think back to how excited I was when Curiosity landed on Mars a few weeks ago. That was pretty amazing, and hugely significant.

But back in 1969... before I was born... two men, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, with Michael Collins circling overhead in Columbia, actually flew to the Moon and walked on it. That was truly historic -- one of those "where were you?" moments in history.

"Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." And then, of course, a bit later:

"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." (He had planned to say that but at the time unintentionally omitted the 'a'.)

Simply, and undeniably, awesome.

Here's the ABC News report: