First Moon Walker is No More

Early Sunday (India time), we lost Neil Armstrong. The first man to walk on Moon, Armstrong started life as a test pilot with NASA (previously NACA).

There is a ton written about Neil Armstrong and we don’t want to waste your time but point you to a link with relevant google search: Neil Armstrong

He was part of the Apollo 11 program which landed on Moon for the first time with men on board. Buzz Aldrin was his partner when Neil landed on Moon while a third mission member Mike Colins chose to hover above the moon in the mothership. Colins guided the descent of the lunar capsule and eventual lift-off back home.

Here is an excerpt from the book “First Man” (James R. Hansen, Simon & Schuster, UK):

“Engineering was Armstrong’s primary professional identity. Even during his years as a test pilot and as an astronaut, Neil considered himself first and foremost an aeronautical engineer, one whose ambition to write an engineering textbook set him apart from virtually all of is fellow fliers.”

Armstrong shied away from media and publicity and devoted his time to what he loved. Testing aircrafts, tinkering with electronics and working on his farm in later years.

He was critical of NASA’s move to bring in private sector into space exploration programs. Elon Musk of SpaceX had reportedly said that he would like to meet Armstrong and show him the possibilities private partnership would bring.

Neil Armstrong. R.I.P.

(Photo credit: NASA)