Another Pioneer Gone…

Neil Armstrong passed away today.  He was 82.  Contrary to popular culture, he was not really a ‘civilian’ engineer with no experience, he was in fact a former US Navy fighter pilot, having flown a number of missions in Korea before going back to school and becoming the engineer that NASA hired! 

Here’s his moment of ‘fame’, but according to him, the landing was the most important part of the journey.  In fact he had to manually land the LEM because the computer overshot the landing area…


I remember watching this on TV in Italy, at about 0230, in a bar. We’d paid this guy to translate, and I remember ALL of us cheering when they landed.  

RIP Sir, your legacy of honesty, honor and commitment will live on as long as we do.

Comments

Another Pioneer Gone… — 13 Comments

  1. I watched it live.

    He was right, the landing WAS the most important part closely followed by the take off.

    Everything else was just theater since they weren’t actually there long enough to do much more than plant a flag and pick up some rocks.

  2. Sad to see the old pioneers leaving us. Probably my single biggest hero . . . . .

    I truly wish him a wonderful, adventurous and exciting journey . . .

  3. Remember it like it was yesterday. Thought you mit like to know Everetts recovering well from his op earlier in the week. Check6.

  4. John Glenn was my first hero. Neil Armstrong then crowded him out for my personal #1 favorite. 🙂 That’s never changed.

  5. A little story.
    At Stead AFB [Reno] we had desert and mountain survival school plus a version of SERE.
    The carpenter shop made wooden mockups of capsules. They were choppered out to a three day walk from the base with the guys inside.
    Coupla days later my buddy and I were walking out of the BX and here’s ol’ John marching down the middle of the street and yells over “Hey, which way,s the O club?”
    Fine man.

  6. Andy/Pam- Yep!

    Skip- LOL, I’m surprised, since Glenn always was always portrayed as the goody two shoes of the Astronauts!