First Name Neil Armstrong It evokes the first human footprint on the Moon and one of history’s most famous phrases. An achievement that made him an icon of the 20th century and an American hero, he honors what he thought was unfair and chose to flee.

He died on August 25, 2012 in Cincinnati, United States, from complications from coronary bypass surgery. 82 years old, The most famous astronaut in the world. His real passion was aviation since he was a child, in fact, he got his pilot’s certificate at the age of 16 before he even got his driver’s license.

Neil Armstrong was dissatisfied with the fame associated with being the first person to walk on the Moon in July 1969. I was 38 years old and two years later he retired from NASA and moved to a farm to teach rocket science at the University of Cincinnati.

Reluctant to speak to the press, traceable who was he and how did he live Through several interviews he gave, he reminisces about that historic moment, his NASA colleagues, his sons Erick and Mark, and his biographer, James R. Hansen.

“One of a kind more human I’ve known in my life,” underlined James Lovell, commander of Apollo 13—with “Houston, we had a problem.” In the words of John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, “He saw himself as the result of the work of a large team of people”.

Besides “modest and reserved he can be friendly at times, but ‘he didn’t always speak his mind. According to her biographer and author, trying to bring her true character to the surface is a challenge. First man.

I did not deserve this

Neil Armstrong said in an interview in 2005 that he wasn’t ready for fame, but that he was considering it.a blessing” and “a burden”, she just didn’t “deserve it”. By his calculation, he was not chosen in the first place. “I just went to command that flight and circumstances put me in that role.”

NASA chose the crew rotations to perform the missions, but the specific content depended on the successes of the previous ones. He bought one that will mark everyone for life.

But what really marked Armstrong was, loss of daughter Karen, at the age of two due to cancer, in 1962. “I thought the best thing for me in this situation was to continue with my job”. That year, he was selected to the NASA astronaut corps, of which he was the only civilian at the time.

Beginning

It all started long ago. He was born in 1930 in Wapakoneta (Ohio). He first flew with his father at the age of five. He began studying aeronautical engineering at Purdue University, which he completed after the Korean War, where he served as a pilot and was awarded a medal.

These duties include his work as a test pilot, his accident on a ground test. moon landing, his rage only amplified when he launched moments before it crashed—“I bit my tongue, but that was the only real damage”—or as the Gemini 8 space mission (1966) was about to end his life.

As he landed on the Moon with Buzz Aldrin and confirmed that the planned location was “not the first landing,” he didn’t hesitate to take the manual control to look for another location. When they landed, only a few seconds of fuel remained before aborting the mission.

one small step

It is estimated that the Eagle’s arrival on the Moon was watched by approximately 600 million people on television. Everyone heard one of the most famous phrases in history live: «One small step for man, one giant leap for humanity.

The astronaut said at his first press conference with Aldrin and Michael Collins that this was neither impromptu nor planned. “The idea was developing in flight.”

Years later he would explain: “It was just one small step, but then I remembered. 400,000 people it gave me the opportunity to take that step. I thought: it will be a big thing for all of them and for many others who are not involved in the project.

This step is a moment special and unforgettablebut we weren’t there to meditate, as there was work to be done just for a moment».

It is estimated that he left a memory about his daughter during the two-and-a-half-hour walk. “We don’t know if he left anything from Karen on the Moon, it’s something she keeps private but it’s possible,” she said, according to her son Mike.

Returning to Earth took the separated Neil Armstrong on a journey. 45 country tour. Two years later he would announce his retirement to teach aerospace engineering, worked for several companies, occasionally collaborated with NASA, and turned down offers to enter politics.

Armstrong hoped this adventure would inspire young people. According to Apollo program astronaut Gene Cernan, he was the last person to set foot on the Moon to date, “not just for what he did, but for the whole country that made it possible.”

a man who doesn’t want to be heroIn the words of astronaut Lovell remembering him after his death: “You won’t find a more determined and passionate hero to follow in his footsteps.”