First man on moon dead at 82

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 82, after suffering complications from heart surgery, his family said in a statement.

Earlier this month, the former NASA astronaut had undergone heart surgery. He famously uttered the quote moments after setting foot on the lunar surface: ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.’

A statement from the family says he died following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. It doesn't say where he died.

According to NBC News, the Armstrong family wrote in a statement: ‘Next time you walk outside on clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil and give him a wink.’
NASA, too, was quick to express their sympathies, tweeting: ‘NASA offers its condolences on today's passing of Neil Armstrong, former test pilot, astronaut & the 1st man on the moon.’
President Obama in a statement hailed the late astronaut Neil Armstrong as one of America's greatest heroes.

In a statement issued by the White House, Mr Obama said Armstrong and the rest of the crew of Apollo 11 carried with them the aspirations of an entire nation when they set out for the moon in 1969.

The president says that when Armstrong set foot on the moon, he delivered what he called 'a moment of human achievement that will never be forgotten.'

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, too, offered his condolences, writing on Twitter: 'Neil Armstrong today takes his place in the hall of heroes. The moon will miss its first son of earth.'

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969.
The legendary astronaut was born on August 5, 1930, near Wapakoneta, Ohio.


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