A true hero has passed today... http://news.yahoo.com/neil-armstrong-1st-man-moon-dies-193954975.html Neil Armstrong was a quiet self-described nerdy engineer who became a global hero when as a steely-nerved pilot he made "one giant leap for mankind" with a small step on to the moon. The modest man who had people on Earth entranced and awed from almost a quarter million miles away has died. He was 82.
I love this man who I never met. A true childhood hero. R.I.P. Neil Armstrong and "Good luck Mr. Gorskey".* *Yes I know the story has been debunked, but it is still a great tale and one that will always make me smile.
A close friend who was on a relay station in Australia told me a story. The actual conversation between Armstrong and Houston wasnt broadcast. As Armstrong inched down the ladder they were unsure exactly what the consistency of the lunar surface would be. He reached the bottom of th ladder and poked at the dust on the landing pad. The actual first words are supposed to be... "Its some grey powdery shit and I can kick it around with my foot" Not as romantic.
One hell of a Jazz player for sure, RIP And I do not care what they say, he still a 7 time Tour de France winner to me.
I was six years old and I was blown away. Man on the moon! I thought maybe we'd have tours to Mars by the time I was an adult, but it never happened. All we got there is a remote control toy. Maybe Armstrong's small step was when humankind reached its peak.
Well, we've certainly taken several leaps backward since 1969. I'm still a space junkie, and the MSL landing earlier this month was awesome. R.I.P. Mr. Armstrong.
RIP Liked this article on him... http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/26/opinion/seymour-armstrong-appreciation/index.html?hpt=hp_c1
I remember reading that they weren't sure if the landing module was just going to sink into the surface. A clip was shown this weekend of Cronkite sighing heavily when he walked safely on the moon. I wasn't around at the time but it was a stunning achievement at the time. I'm sure Armstrong felt we should be walking on Mars at this point. Amazing what the US & Soviets did in a little over a decade. Makes us look small in comparison getting all excited over the latest release of the Iphone.
Neil was such a great folk rock singer, too. (NBC initially reported it as the death of "astronaut Neil Young".)
We've maybe taken leaps backward in manned missioned but we've got freaking amazing space telescopes and have sent kickass probes to other planets. And hell, Voyager is about to leave the solar system entirely. I'm pissed about Shuttle, though.
I don't think we should have dropped the program altogether. I think we should have fixed it where it was broken. I don't like being dependent on other countries for transport to our various orbiting doohickeys.
There is a pretty good movie about one of those stations call "The Dish", starring Sam Neill. Do not know how accurate it is, but it is quite entertaining.
I'm actually pretty jazzed about how the private sector is picking up where NASA left off. I am certain the next wave of human exploration will be funded in part, if not entirely by a private company. Otherwise, how will the Nostromo ever be actualized?
If it's any consolation, those LIVESTRONG bracelets probably got their last nail in the coffin over the weekend.