Demikian keterangan keluarga Neil Armstrong, seperti dikutip detikcom dari reuters, Minggu (26/8/2012).
Armstrong menjalani operasi jantung awal bulan ini, hanya dua hari setelah ulang tahunnya pada 5 Agustus 2012, untuk meringankan arteri koroner yang tersumbat.
Sebagai komandan misi Apollo 11, Armstrong menjadi manusia pertama yang menginjakkan kaki di bulan pada 20 Juli 1969. Saat ia menginjak permukaan berdebu, Armstrong mengatakan: " Itu sebuah jejak kecil seorang manusia, sebuah lompatan besar bagi seluruh umat manusia"
Kata-kata itu bertahan sebagai salah satu kutipan yang paling terkenal sampai saat ini.
Neil Alden Armstrong masih berusia 38 tahun pada waktu itu. Dan meskipun ia telah memenuhi impian manusia untuk menginjakkan kaki di bulan, dia tidak bersenang-senang dalam keberhasilannya.
"Saya kira kita semua ingin diakui bukan untuk salah satu bagian dari kembang api tetapi untuk buku besar dari pekerjaan kita sehari-hari," kata Armstrong dalam sebuah wawancara di CBS dalam program "60 Minutes" pada tahun 2005.
Dia pernah ditanya bagaimana perasaannya mengetahui jejak kakinya kemungkinan akan tetap di permukaan bulan selama ribuan tahun. "Aku agak berharap bahwa seseorang berjalan di sana suatu hari dan membersihkan jejak tersebut," katanya.

One
giant leap: Neil Armstrong, who made the first mission to the moon in
1969 and was the first to step foot on the lunar surface, has died,
aged 82

Legacy: A footprint left by one of the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission shows in the soft, powder surface of the moon

Touchdown: Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong leaves a footprint on the surface of the Moon at Tranquility Base on July 20, 1969

Lunar
landing: Astronauts Neil Armstrong, left, and Buzz Aldrin, right,
place an American flag on the lunar surface as taken from the Eagle
Lunar Module

Tuning
in: A shadow-shrouded Neil Armstrong begins to deploy equipment a few
minutes after taking the first momentous and historic step; half a
billion tuned in to watch the moment

Master
and commander: Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that
landed on the moon July 20, 1969, and is pictured smiling in the vessel

Documenting: Armstrong, pictured in April 1969 holding a video camera, spent years training for the monumental launch
Historic: The New York Times cover the day after the landing proudly chronicles the achievement

Moon
mission: U.S.astronaut Buzz Aldrin salutes the American flag on the
moon's surface; Aldrin was the second man on the moon following Neil
Armstrong

Alien
landscape: Armstrong, right, is seen at the Lunar Module Eagle on the
historic first extravehicular activity (EVA) on the lunar surface; the
photo was taken by Buzz Aldrin

Up
up and away: On July 16, 1969, the American flag heralded the flight
of Apollo 11, the first Lunar landing mission, lifting off with
Armstrong and crew inside

The
incredible journey: On July 16, 1969, with Neil Armstrong waving in
front, the space crew heads for the van that will take them to the
rocket for launch to the moon at Kennedy Space Center

Thumbs up: From another angle, Armstrong is seen giving a thumbs up as he and the crew walk to board the shuttle

Trinity:
The crew of Apollo 11, pictured in 1969, from left are Neil Armstrong,
Mission Commander, Michael Collins, Lt. Col. USAF, and Buzz Aldrin,
USAF Lunar Module pilot

Space pioneer: Neil Armstrong poses for a NASA portrait ahead of the historic 1969 Apollo 11 mission

Later
days: Armstrong spoke at a celebration dinner honoring John Glenn in
Columbus, Ohio in February, but rarely granted interviews or made
public appearances

Anniversary:
Left to right, Apollo 11 crew members, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins,
and Neil Armstrong posed for photos with President Obama on the 40th
anniversary of the moon landing

Achievement:
Speaking in a statement, President Obama said that when Armstrong set
foot on the moon, he delivered what he called 'a moment of human
achievement that will never be forgotten'; the two are pictured
together in 2009

All
smiles: In 2011, Armstrong offered his testimony before a House
committee hearing on NASA Human Spaceflight Past, Present and Future in
Washington

Festivities:
The astronauts wave as motorcade carries them through a deluge of
ticker-tape and confetti in lower Manhattan on August 14 following the
moon landing

Joyful:
As they made their way up lower Broadway, the spacemen, from left, are
Michael Collins, Edwin Aldrin, Jr., and Neil A. Armstrong, all waved

World
travels: From left to right, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz
Aldrin, seen arriving at Heathrow Airport in London from Berlin for a
24-hour visit to Britain during their 22-nation 38 day world tour later
in 1969

Royal
encounters: The astronaut and his then-wife Janet, left, met Queen
Elizabeth II, far right, and Prince Andrew during a reception at
Buckingham Palace after the moon landing

Proper
gear: In this March 9, 1966 file photo, Astronaut Neil Armstrong is
seated during a suiting up exercise Cape Kennedy, Florida, in
preparation for the Gemini 8 flight

Suited up: On March 6, 1966, Armstrong, pilot for the Gemini VIII mission is shown in his gear

Dinner
briefings: Here, Apollo 11 astronauts go through more briefings in
preparation for their launch their projected trip to the moon from Cape
Kennedy, left to right, Michael Collins and Neil Armstrong

Run-through:
In 1966, astronauts Neil Armstrong, fourth from left, and David R.
Scott, third from left, prepare for a simulated test to get ready for a
launch

Meet the press: Armstrong was introduced to the press on September 17, 1962, along with the other astronauts in Houston

Sky
miles: Neil Armstrong poses with an X-15 aircraft at the Dryden Flight
Research Center in California in an undated NASA handout; before
joining NASA, he served as a U.S. Navy pilot in the Korean War
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