Neil Armstrong, a man whose name has long been associated with the ultimate in modern space travel, passed away due to complications of heart surgery. But his legacy continues.
“I was very fortunate to have once interviewed Neil Armstrong,” recalls Juan Senor, a prominent London-based Catholic, well-respected international journalist, speaker, and partner at Innovation Media Consultants who once interviewed the first human to step foot on the moon. “I asked him [Armstrong] what he thought of people who claimed that Apollo 11’s trip to the moon was a hoax. At the time, the conspiracy theorists had absurdly caught the attention of the media. In reply, Mr. Armstrong chuckled—he was a very modest and unassuming man—and said that all the proof he needs is still sitting on the surface of the moon. He had to leave a lot of equipment behind, including his camera. And, he added, if they took the journey would they kindly return it to him… Neil Armstrong was a great man indeed.”
In their statement, Armstrong’s family talk of a man who never lost his “boyhood wonder” at the pursuits of aviation and spaceflight, adding: “For those who may ask what they can do to honour Neil, we have a simple request. Honour his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.”
While these things are more than impressive, what I find most engaging about Neil Armstrong’s life and career is his dogged focus on the goal at hand, on the discovery of what was true, and on intellectual honesty, rather than on fame of any kind. He was gifted with a sharp, inquisitive, engineering mind and a sense that he had a divine purpose in this world beyond his own self-promotion.
We tend to forget that famous people did not begin their career at the top. Long before he first stepped boot upon the surface of the moon, Armstrong was a seasoned test pilot who had encountered plenty of less-than-perfect flying situations (to put it mildly) in his more than 200 test flights. Some of his maneuvers have become legendary among test pilots. You can read more on his test pilot experiences here.
For more on his life and influence, read more>>
Neil Armstrong, pax domini.