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Monday, August 27, 2012

Vibrant homage to the man who starred in the first moon walk


The world wept Sunday the first human to have walked on the moon, U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong, died the day before, and greeted both toughness and boldness and humility of a man turned into an "almost mythical figure," according U.S. press. With his "moonwalk" Armstrong "moved heaven and earth" headlined Sunday's Washington Post regarding this taciturn engineer who never felt comfortable with his fame. Walking on the moon was the astronaut who died just "a job", said by his side the Miami Herald. Armstrong, whose adventure inspired an entire generation to embark on the conquest of space, died Saturday at the age of 82 years in Cincinnati, in the state of Ohio (North America), because of complications after performing of heart surgery this month. Until Sunday morning, the date and place of the funeral had not been determined, according to NASA told. The famous black and white transmission of his "moonwalk" on July 20, 1969, was seen by about 500 million people, who also heard his words at the dawn of the space age, they joined a planet divided by the Cold War. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," Armstrong said then. U.S. President Barack Obama, who in July 1969 that he was about to meet its eighth year of life, said the space adventure starring Armstrong "provided a moment of human progress that will never be forgotten." "Neil is one of the greatest heroes" national, "not only of our time but of all time," said the president, who said he was "deeply saddened" by the death of the astronaut. After referring to Armstrong as "an American hero (U.S.) reluctantly," his family expressed hope that his legacy will inspire future generations to "work hard to turn your dreams into reality, be willing to explore and push the boundaries and selflessly serve a cause "that transcends. The pioneer in the lunar adventure was decorated by 17 countries and received a number of honors in his native America, but never felt comfortable in his role as "famous" and tried to get away from the limelight. In one of the rare interviews he granted, issued by a television channel in 2005, said he did not deserve the attention he received for being the first man on the moon, followed by his companion aboard the Apollo 11 Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin. "I had not been chosen to be the first, but to command the flight. Circumstances put me in that particular role," he said. Armstrong, a married father of two and grandfather of 10 grandchildren, even stopped signing 'souvenirs' after learning that their autographs were being sold at exorbitant prices. John Glenn, 81, the first American to orbit the Earth, welcomed the "audacity" of Armstrong and recalled his legendary humility. "He was a modest person, and remained so after that first flight to touch the moon," said Ohio Democratic former senator told CNN Saturday. Aldrin, 82, said in turn that he wished he had come to life with Armstrong and Michael Collins, the third astronaut mission until 2019 to celebrate together the 50th anniversary of the flight of Apollo 11. "But you can not be." "Every time I look at the moon, it reminds me of that time more than four decades ago when I realized that although we were further away from Earth than it ever had been two human beings were not alone" said. Armstrong "was the best and his absence will be felt tremendously," Collins said by his side, 81. "Anyone who has seen the man walking on the moon can have no other desire that it happen again," now on Mars, where the robot Curiosity, the U.S. space agency Nasa, just landed, said the director of the Town Area of ​​Toulouse (France), Jean-Baptiste Desbois. Armstrong's achievements will always be "a source of inspiration for humanity", estimated the European Commission president, José Manuel Barroso. For French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Armstrong will remain in the memory "as a symbol of how the scientific and technological progress can be identified with the progress of humanity." Several European astronauts also paid tribute to his U.S. counterpart. "Until our planet is extinguished will discuss Yuri Gagarin, the first human to reach space, and Neil Armstrong, the first to walk on the moon," said Miroslaw Hermaszewski, the only Polish cosmonaut, the news agency of your PAP country. Away from the microphones and cameras, Armstrong lived on a farm for decades withdrawal of Ohio, the state where he was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta. From childhood he was fascinated planes. At 15, he took classes to become a pilot, which he did a year later, before even getting your book driving. As a naval air force pilot, conducted 78 missions during the Korean War (1950-53). Course also aeronautical engineering from Purdue University (Indiana, North). In 1955 he became a test pilot and flew 50 different types of aircraft. Seven years later he was selected by NASA as an astronaut to join.

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