Remembering Neil Armstrong: A humble hero and legendary astronaut

"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind," Armstrong said as he set foot on the moon and inspired generations of people around the world

Neil Armstrong
(Image credit: NASA/Getty Images)

Neil Armstrong, the first human being ever to set foot on the moon, died Saturday following complications from heart surgery. He was 82. The legendary astronaut, who captivated the world on July 20, 1969, when he stepped off the Eagle lunar module as some half a billion earthbound people watched the grainy image on TV, is perhaps best remembered for uttering one of the twentieth century's most enduring phrases: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." Received as a hero on his return to Earth, Armstrong preferred life away from the spotlight, leaving NASA shortly after the iconic Apollo 11 mission to become a professor of engineering at the University of Cincinnati. He represented the rarest kind of creature, says Ed Yong at Discover Magazine: "The humble hero." Here, writers and stargazers honor his memory:

Armstrong was brave and unflappable

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