Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, who became the first man to walk on the moon in 1969, died Saturday after complications following cardiac bypass surgery, according to news reports.
Armstrong became an American icon on July 20, 1969, as the commander of the Apollo 11 spacecraft on the mission that culminated the Soviet-American space race in the 1960s. President John F. Kennedy had committed the nation “to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.” It was done with more than five months to spare, according to the New York Times.
As Armstrong planted his feet on the lunar surface, he said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Where were you and what do you remember from that historic moment? And if you weren't around back then, what are your thoughts?
