Keith’s note: This is how the exit sign for JPL looked yesterday. Larger image.
Video: Administrator Bolden’s Message on the Passing of Neil Armstrong
“Neil will always be remembered for taking humankind’s first small step on a world beyond our own, but it was his courage, grace, and humility before, during, and after his historic Apollo 11 mission that has continued to lift him and all of us far beyond that breakthrough achievement.”
Passing of an Era, Paul Spudis, AIr & Space
“It’s become cliche to say that Neil Armstrong holds a unique place in history. On this occasion, we should pause to consider just how singular his place is. No one – not the first human to Mars nor the first crew to venture beyond the Solar System – will ever achieve the same level of significance as the first human to step onto the surface of another world. The flight of Apollo 11 was truly a once in a lifetime event – and by that, I mean in the lifetime of humanity. That first step was indeed one to “divide history,” as the NASA Public Affairs Office put it at the time.”
Keith’s update: Proclamation by the President: Flags To Be Flown at Half Staff: Death of Neil Armstrong
Statement from the Family of Neil Armstrong Regarding Memorials and Donations
“The outpouring of condolences and kind wishes from around the world overwhelms us and we appreciate it more than words can express. Many have asked if a memorial has been designated. If anyone wishes to make a memorial in his name, we suggest, in lieu of flowers, memorials be sent to one of these worthy organizations:”
Keith’s note: A private family memorial is planned in Cincinnati on Friday. A public event is in the planning stages.
I think that Mr. Armstrong would have been horrified by such a suggestion….
Why are you playing petty politics on the occasion of someone’s death?
After some period of time to reflect on his full legacy, I’d like to see the Armstrong name affixed to a number of scholarships for young men and women in aerospace, science, engineering and technology. It was something he spoke about often and is the very foundation for the journeys that took him into history. There are Rhodes scholars, Fulbright scholars, why shouldn’t there be Armstrong scholars that take us into these challenging fields and make new history and exploration possible? Whatever is named in his honor I hope his family has full approval of.
Armstrong’s accomplishments include the lunar lander simulator failure, when he worked to regain control until the literal last second and successfully ejected when the vehicle was just a few feet above the ground and an angle of about 60 degrees to the vertical; the Gemini thruster failure, which was far more difficult to figure out than is commonly realized since the stabilization system initially kept the capsule from responding to the stuck thruster until some of the thrusters began overheating, and consequently the capsule did not respond normally to control inputs, began slowly drifting off attitude and gradually spun up until the crew was close to blacking out due to the centrifugal force, when Armstrong identified the problem and shut down the entire primary thruster ring and used other jets to regain control, and 3) the well-known problems on the lunar landing including the difficulty in controlling the LM, the unexpected computer overload failure, the erroneous trajectory (because of the unanticipated impulse from LM-CSM separation) toward a boulder field, taking manual control without consulting mission control and landing with only seconds of fuel remaining. Time after time he was calm and resourceful under the most extreme pressure.
Daniel,
Armstrong’s accomplishments began even before Gemini and Apollo, most notably with his X-15 test flights. He was one of small handful of X-15 test pilots, the real first men to reach for space. Personally, I’ve always figured that his incredible recovery of Gemini 8 was why they gave him the first Moon landing. A lot of excitement for one lifetime, yet he always seemed to take it in stride.
Steve
Actually Armstrong considered his primary engineering achievement the development of electric/digital fly-by-wire controls, used first on the X-15, then on the Apollo spacecraft and now in wide use on most modern military and large commercial aircraft. Armstrong always considered himself an engineer and his engineering design and development experience was something he took great pride in. It made a difference.
The best way to honor Neil Armstrong is to name the first US Moonbase after him as originally planned.
Marcel F. Williams
I agree Marcel, but start with just an OUTPOST that is only visited so it can be CHEAP and therefore last and one day grow. not be to expensive, like ISS and wither and disapear.
Armstrong was a pathfinder but Obama’s dog don’t hunt.
This video is from Kim Person who recently lost her father, a former test pilot with LaRC. A beautiful tribute to both Neil and Lee. A quote from Kim Person “I walked into my Mom’s house to the breaking news of Neil Armstrong’s passing. My first thought was that Neil and my dad are having a great conversation this evening. I remember when Neil would come to our house when I was a little girl, he would be here at NASA/Langley working with my dad and the other engineers testing various things designed for the Apollo Mission. Dad & I put together this vi
deo for NASA for the 25th Anniversary of Neil’s infamous Moon Landing, it took the efforts of many unsung heros to get us there. Godspeed Neil Armstrong!”
Armstrong http://www.youtube.com/watc…
Before the moon landing my father bought me a picture of the three apollo astronauts. It was a large picture, a photo made grainy to look like a painting. It stayed on my wall till I went to college. Those three were all my heros. I keep thinking of the day when George Washington and Thomas Jefferson died. The passing of Mr. Armstrong compares to that in my mind.
Maybe make July 20 a national holiday, that would be a fitting tribute not just to Neil Armstong, but to all the people that made Apollo possible.
Kudo’s to Paul for a great tribute to Neil Armstrong. I never knew much about his activities after his Moon landing and only recently read about his influence on fly by wire systems.
One thing that strikes me about the tributes are references to his engineering skills. This is the thing that today is sorely needed above all others in the aerospace industry. Not just being able to crank out a few calculations, but the ability to understand what is possible and what is not with a machine and or its design.
Hopefully, this part of his career will be more thoroughly explored by future writers. I would be interesting to hear from some of his students and or to see what their careers have wrought.