Two Moon Walks, One Hero

Michael Jackson’s death received more notoriety than Neil Armstrong’s death.  Both are famous for moon walks.

Am I the only person who thinks this is tragic?  The person on the street knows more about Hollywood, music videos, and what Kim Kardashian wore on the red carpet than the achievements of this modern day “Lewis and Clark.”  This man risked his life on the greatest adventure in the history of mankind and he did it relying on NASA computers antiquated by today’s standards.

Modern Day Pioneer

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died aged 82. The former US astronaut, who will go down in history as the most famous pioneer of space exploration, passed away as the result of heart complications following surgery.

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, he became the first person to set foot on the moon, on 20 July 1969, fulfilling the longheld dream of the United States to get there before the Soviet Union. His first words as he stepped on to the surface – “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” – instantly became one of the most recognizable phrases ever uttered.

Armstrong had a determined effort to live a quiet, private life after his astronaut days.  There is a Neil Armstrong Museum in  Ohio (that I happened to visit earlier this year.)  When he passed, there was relatively little tape on hand to roll from interviews reminiscing about his experiences, reunions with old astronauts or public appearances because he didn’t seek personal fame.  Fame found him and he handled it with grace.  He didn’t go on the Letterman show.  He was a true American hero who did his job better than anyone else, led a quiet life, and never exploited his adventure for personal gain.  There was the moon walk, and not much else.