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US astronaut Neil Armstrong dies, first man on Moon
Armstrong makes his "one small step"
US astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, has died aged 82.
A statement from his family says he died from complications from heart surgery he had earlier this month.
He set foot on the Moon on 20 July 1969, famously describing the event as "one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind".
US President Barack Obama said Armstrong was "among the greatest of American heroes - not just of his time, but of all time".
Last November he received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest US civilian award.
He was the commander of the Apollo 11 spacecraft. More than 500 million TV viewers around the world watched its touchdown on the lunar surface.
Armstrong and fellow astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin spent nearly three hours walking on the moon, collecting samples, conducting experiments and taking photographs.
"The sights were simply magnificent, beyond any visual experience that I had ever been exposed to," Armstrong once said.
'Reluctant hero'
Mr Aldrin told the BBC's Newshour programme: "It's very sad indeed that we're not able to be together as a crew on the 50th anniversary of the mission… [I will remember him] as a very capable commander."
Apollo 11 was Armstrong's last space mission. In 1971, he left the US space agency Nasa to teach aerospace engineering.
Born in 1930 and raised in Ohio, Armstrong took his first flight aged six with his father and formed a lifelong passion for flying.
He flew Navy fighter jets during the Korean War in the 1950s, and joined the US space programme in 1962.
President Obama described him as "one of the greatest American heroes of all time"
Correspondents say Armstrong remained modest and never allowed himself to be caught up in the glamour of space exploration.
"I am, and ever will be, a white-socks, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer," he said in February 2000, in a rare public appearance.
In a statement, his family praised him as a "reluctant American hero" who had "served his nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut".
The statement did not say where Armstrong died.
He had surgery to relieve four blocked coronary arteries on 7 August.
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Comment number 1016.
Fullerov26th August 2012 - 11:05
Barack Obama referred to Neil Armstrong as one of the greatest American heroes of all time. This is correct, but more limited in scope than it should be. Mr Armstrong is one of the greatest heroes for all humanity.
One giant of a man, one giant loss for mankind.
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Comment number 924.
kennytucson26th August 2012 - 9:32
The significance of not only his achievements, but also his character can not be over-stated. We could not have had a greater cosmic ambassador for Earth than this man.
Thank you, Neil.
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Comment number 893.
Dai-L26th August 2012 - 8:47
Neil Armstrong:- You are, were a hero for many people like me who on that night in 1969 is a memory that many people will treasure for the rest of our lives.
Your name shall liveth and be remembered for ever more
R.I.P. Neil Armstrong
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Comment number 445.
davem25th August 2012 - 22:28
Who of my generation didn't stay up that night to watch the landing. One of the all time heros of the human race. 40 years later I teach my planetary science class what real adventure is all about. Brave, inspirational, never to be repeated. Oh dear, I feel old.
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Comment number 183.
Trismegistus25th August 2012 - 21:06
At the age of 13, I stayed up all night to watch the landing. I have rarely since felt so inspired by the potential of the human race since then.
The Eagle has truly landed. God Bless, Neil.
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Comments 5 of 12