Rocket Man

From one Armstrong to another . . .

Neil Armstrong, who died today at 82, was always a reluctant hero.  He was the first man to set foot on the moon, and he and Buzz Aldrin were able to land their module on the surface of the moon with only a few seconds of fuel left.  His feat was, indeed, a giant leap for mankind.  But like Sally Ride, who died earlier this year, Armstrong saw himself as someone who was part of a larger effort by many people in to explore space, and he didn't see his achievement as being all that tremendous . . . especially when Aldrin could have easily gone first.

Aldrin has reveled in his celebrity, well aware that being one of the first two man to walk on the moon was an inspiring act, and he has understood the need for heroes to inspire future feats of greatness.  (Perhaps this was because, in July 1969, a year in change after the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, Aldrin knew the need for America to have heroes.)  Armstrong was a much more private man, and he clearly preferred to let his achievement speak for himself.  He had several achievements, in fact, which included flying several missions during the Korean War in the Navy's air corps, test-flying the X-15 rocket plane and saving the Gemini 8 mission, which involved the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit, from disaster with an emergency landing after a malfunction with the thrusters.  

Some observers thought that Armstrong had forfeited a responsibility to give people a reason to look up to him and what he had achieved.  While a public life was fine for the outgoing Aldrin, though, it was out of character for the introverted, self-effacing Armstrong, and I don't think he should be criticized just for being himself.  Besides, as his family made clear, he gave us something to look up at - the moon.  Because thanks to Armstrong, Aldrin, and command module pilot Michael Collins, we look at the moon differently from the way people looked at it before July 20, 1969.  R.I.P.