Astronaut Neil Armstrong, First Man on the Moon, Dies at 82

Posted on August 25, 2012

NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong has died at age 82. He died following complications after heart surgery. Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. He commanded the Apollo 11, which landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. On the moon, Armstrong said the famous words, "That is one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."

Armstrong was also a Navy fighter pilot and test pilot. NASA has an obituary here with photographs and restored footage of Armstrong's first steps on the Moon.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement, "On behalf of the entire NASA family, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Carol and the rest of Armstrong family on the passing of Neil Armstrong. As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world beyond our own."

Bolden also called Armstrong a "friend, fellow astronaut and true American hero."

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