The world is mourning the loss of the man that took mankind to boundaries never known. Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died today at the age of 82 due to cardiovascular complications, according to his family. In 1969, Armstrong was a 38 year-old astronaut for NASA when he made the famous "Leap for mankind" declaration during the Apollo 11 mission. However, in spite of making one of the largest contributions to our species, the he tried to live most of his life out of the spot light.
While Armstrong could have lived like Scrooge Mcduck, swimming in his glory for all his days (and who would blame him?), he decided to teach engineering at the University of Cincinnati for nearly a decade after retiring from NASA. Armstrong lived a life of humility, through and through, even noting that landing on the moon was just a part of the job. While there are many lessons to be learned by such a man, the family asked that we could honor Armstrong by trying to practice his modesty and giving a wink at the moon the next time we see it. Here's to you, Neil Armstrong, for thinking big on a galactic level, but always keeping that mellow spirit that kept you down to Earth with the rest of us simple humans. And now, whenever we look up at Luna, our moon, we can actually say, "Yeah. We've been there before." For that, you'll always be a champion among men, and will be dearly missed.
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