R.I.P Neil Armstrong

(26-08-2012 18:13 )Captain Vimes Wrote:  All he ever did was what he was trained to do. Landing the tin can LIM on the moon in no way compares to being a contestant on Big Brother or Hmm Celebrity Big Brother or I'm A Celebrity Get Me out Of Here where he would have been subjected to constant 24 hour scrutiny.

But landing on the moon did prove that America's Got Talent!

It's amazing to think how much bravery he had, to be the first person to leave this planet! Unbelievable courage, and then to leave the rocket and walk on the moon, when before that, it was just fantasy.

I'm sure that there could have been life threatening situations that NASA hadn't even thought of, on that trip, and yet he still had the balls to do all the way there. Amazing

Incredible bravery - and Armstrong demonstrated this before he ever left Earth while testing the LEM prototype: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qhcs6qiH...re=related

He also piloted the X-15 Rocket Plane which is still the fastest plane to ever fly (at 4500 MPH).

(26-08-2012 21:12 )iamthatjack Wrote:  It's amazing to think how much bravery he had, to be the first person to leave this planet! Unbelievable courage, and then to leave the rocket and walk on the moon, when before that, it was just fantasy.

I'm sure that there could have been life threatening situations that NASA hadn't even thought of, on that trip, and yet he still had the balls to do all the way there. Amazing

(26-08-2012 21:12 )iamthatjack Wrote:  It's amazing to think how much bravery he had, to be the first person to leave this planet! Unbelievable courage, and then to leave the rocket and walk on the moon, when before that, it was just fantasy.

I'm sure that there could have been life threatening situations that NASA hadn't even thought of, on that trip, and yet he still had the balls to do all the way there. Amazing

He was not the first man to leave the planet as there had been a number of previous manned spaceflights, including missions which orbited the moon There is a tremendous book by Tom Wolfe and a related film, called The Right Stuff, about the American astronauts and test pilots.
I was thinking of suggesting that if some time in the future there is another lunar mission Armstrong's ashes, or part of them, are returned there, but being reminded in an earlier post that his footprints remain there that seems to be an appropriate tribute.

(26-08-2012 22:17 )KRISB Wrote:  He was not the first man to leave the planet as there had been a number of previous manned spaceflights,

Correct, Neil Armstrong was the 26th/27th man to leave the planet, along with David Scott.

(27-08-2012 08:35 )elgar1uk Wrote:  Correct, Neil Armstrong was the 26th/27th man to leave the planet, along with David Scott.

And the 27th/28th PERSON to leave the planet (as the Russians had put a woman in space in 1963).

David Scott flew on Apollo 9, went on to walk on the moon on Apollo 15 and was briefly engaged to newsreader Anna Ford!

(27-08-2012 11:33 )mr williams Wrote:  And the 27th/28th PERSON to leave the planet (as the Russians had put a woman in space in 1963).

I humbly apologise mr williams. Please forgive my mistake. I should have said that Neil Armstrong was the 26th/27th PERSON to leave the planet, along with David Scott.

NASA have just announced that the funeral will be a private family service in Cincinnatti on Friday. No details yet for a public memorial.