the death of neil armstrong

 The iconic shot of the Earth rising in the shadow of the Moon

Armstrong back in the capsule (but still on the Moon) after his walk

For people of a certain age, the death of Neil Armstrong resonates because of the significance of what he did.  The first man ever to set foot on the moon (with Buzz Aldrin in Apollo 11).  That, let's not forget, is an amazing achievement, even if it was to be carried out now, let alone back in 1969.  Lots of things could have gone wrong, and he (with the other crew members) risked their lives and succeeded in pulling off an amazing feat.  Obviously l never knew the man, but by all accounts he was pretty modest about his achievements, but what a thing to experience.  It was amazing to see it on TV at the time, but to be able to look back on the Earth, step foot on another surface, and then return home in one piece, must have been mind blowing.  How can the rest of your life compete with that?  No wonder he looks so happy in the photograph above.

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