Hot Topics »
Nokia launches new range of Asha Touch devices 'Karnan's 150 day rerun resurrects 'actor's actor' Sivaji UK's Office of Budget Responsibility calls for increase in immigration Apple peel can help stave off high Blood Pressure Salim Kumar to debut in Tamil
Home
World

Neil Armstrong, first man on moon, is dead

World / 2012-08-26


Washington: American astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, has died at the age of 82, his family said. US President Barack Obama said he was "among the greatest of American heroes".

"We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures," Xinhua quoted the family as saying in a statement.

The statement did not say where Armstrong died.

Describing the astronaut as "a reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job", the statement said: "He served his nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot and astronaut."

Armstrong landed on the moon July 20, 1969 by taking the Apollo 11 spacecraft and is best remembered for saying: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Armstrong and fellow American astronaut Buzz Aldrin spent two and a half hours walking on the moon, collecting samples, conducting experiments and taking photographs, while astronaut Michael Collins remained in orbit in the command module.

Obama lamented the death of Armstrong, calling him a man "among the greatest of American heroes - not just of his time, but of all time".

"When Neil stepped foot on the surface of the moon for the first time, he delivered a moment of human achievement that will never be forgotten," the president said in a statement.

NASA administrator Charles Bolden also praised Armstrong, saying he will be remembered for "taking humankind's first small step on a world beyond our own".

"As we enter this next era of space exploration, we do so standing on the shoulders of Neil Armstrong," Bolden said in a statement.

Born Aug 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio, Armstrong served in the US Navy and joined the Korean War before becoming an astronaut.

After the war, he served as a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics High Speed Flight Station.

He left NASA a year after the Apollo 11 mission to become a professor of engineering at the University of Cincinnati.
Add a Comment
Name :
Email :
Comment :
   
 
Other News in this category
  • Food poisoning: China hotel fined after 140 fall ill
    		•
  • Afghanistan bomb attacks kill 46
    		•
  • Mystery illness causes woman to grow fingernails instead of hair
    		•
  • Mars rover sends back first colour photo Of Martian landscape
    		•
  • Four Indians among US shooting victims
    		•
  • Recycled bottles illuminate dark homes in Philippines
    		•
  • Google doodles on Olympics diving
    		•
  • Sally Ride, first American woman in space dies of cancer
    		•
  • Myanmar invites foreign firms to explore oil, gas
    		•
  • Three-year-old is the world's tiniest girl at just 1 1/2 foot tall
    		•

    Myanmar invites foreign firms to explore oil, gas

    Yangon: Myanmar, which has vast reserves of oil and gas, is inviting foreign firms to explore them in 23 offshore blocks. US and European companies may accept the offer as most Western sanctions against the country have been lifted, the Mizzima News reported. The areas include 17 deep-water and six shallow-water blocks off Rakhine, Mottama and Tanintharyi in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. Foreign firms will be required to partner with Myanmar companies, and will

    Chinese hospital issues I-cards on sperm health

    Beijing: A hospital in China has begun issuing identity cards to men based on their sperm health. The men are given a certificate, which shows sperm count and health, and a DVD that records the quality, quantity and the movement of the sperm. The sperm identity cards are being issued at a hospital in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, the China Daily reported. The identity card is being jointly issued by the Ren'ai Hospital and the Reproductive Healthcare Associa

    Cambodia launches first ever life insurance

    Phnom Penh : Cambodia launched the first ever life insurance here with the official inauguration of Cambodian Life Insurance Company (Cambodian Life), seen as another landmark in the kingdom's financial market after the opening of stock market in mid-April. Cambodian Life is a joint venture established on January 10th, 2012 by Cambodia's Ministry of Economy and Finance and four other partners, namely PT Asuransi from Indonesia, Asia Insurance from Hong Kong, Bangkok Life As

    Three killed, one injured in China gas blast

    Taiyuan : Three people were killed and one injured after an explosion ripped through a factory in north China's Shanxi province Thursday, local authorities said. The gas furnace of the Hengyuan Refractory Material Co., Ltd. exploded around 6:30 a.m. in Lishi district in the city of Luliang, according to the district's press office. The injured were rushed to a local hospital. The cause of the accident is being investigated.  

    Pakistani police official shot dead

    Islamabad: A senior police official was gunned down in Pakistan's Quetta ctiy, a media report said.SP Crime Investigation Department (CID) Shahnawaz Khan was fatally shot in Quetta's Satellite Town area, DawnNews reported. The official was taking a walk outside his house in the early hours of Tuesday when he was targeted by gunmen who came on two motor cycles. He was taken to a hospital where he died. The official had been on the hit list of various militant

    Actor accidentally hangs himself on stage while re-enacting death of Judas Iscariot in Easter play

    Brazilia: An actor in Brazil has died 17-days after being strangled by his own safety equipment during an Easter play. Tiago Klimeck, 27, hanged himself while re-enacting the death of Judas Iscariot during the performance. He had been playing the part of Judas in a Passion of Christ theatrical performance in the town of Itarare, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. While acting the scene in which Judas commits suicide after betraying Jesus, he was supposed to ‘h

    Follow Us

    Facebook
    Twitter
    YouTube