The moon landing at 50: Neil Armstrong in his own words

I was ten years old in the summer of '69. Neil Armstrong was a childhood hero of mine, as were all of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronauts. They seemed larger than life and eternal. The world doesn't seem right without Neil Armstrong in it.

Neil Armstrong was a great human being. Humility, being his greatest attribute.

The discovery that Neil Armstrong was a glider pilot made my day. As a general aviation pilot and avid glider pilot, I agree. Spiraling in an updraft with the vultures is the closest you can get to being a bird. And it allows the pilot to really hone pure piloting skills.
It also gives me the opportunity to share time with many distinguished retired military pilots (even a retired air force general).

The man was on the brink of tears 50 years later talking about his dead daughter. Being a father of a child who's the same age as Neil's daughter was when she passed I can understand why. You'll never ever get over it. Never. No matter what you do or achieve. It'll always devastate you as long as you live. Godspeed Neil.

Found myself sitting here smiling the whole time watching this----- RIP Neil-- You are defiantly missed by all !!!!

What an amazing humble man. All he accomplished in his career and life. He's still a simple man. This is the first time I heard him talk about the moon. Thank you Neil Armstrong for taking us all with you on that special trip to the moon. Rest in peace...

It's really the only slightly downbeat thing about the 50th anniversary, that Neil Armstrong isn't here to celebrate it. It can't be helped, of course, there's nobody to blame. He just deserves to be here with Buzz and Mike to commemorate one of the greatest things that our little species has achieved.

It's a wonderful thing for us that towards the end of his life, Neil felt comfortable enough to be in the public eye once again.

I think it was the same understanding of his place in history that was partly responsible for it. Imagine now if the period immediately following the Apollo 11 mission was all we had of this great good man.

It's obvious to most people that of all those who are possessed of "the right stuff", Neil Armstrong was the missile man with the steeliest eye. That's why he commanded the mission, that's why he was first down the ladder. He was the right kind of human being to represent the rest of us on another celestial body.

Right stuff or no, nothing prepares you for or strengthens or comforts you through the loss of your child. And you can see here, in the judiciously edited few moments when Neil answers a question or two about Karen, that we are, as a species, levelled by certain things.

Through it all, Neil Armstrong was, is and will remain a towering figure of our planet's history.

Kept his beautiful smile and baby face all through. RIP Neil. You are a legend and live on in our hearts

Brave, dedicated men, who did what few could do. I cannot even imagine what it must have felt like to be out in space, no exit, just going forward, and to actually ascend to a planet beneath you. What an experience, and for all those that followed.

Those who hate, detest the fact that man landed on another planet have nothing to add to life, live in a world of denial, and try to have us to join them in their sad world of denying this and that, and the other.

Imagine being the man every kid in the world wants to grow up and be like and ever man in the world wishes they were like. What an experience he got to experience. A true legend that will be remembered for eternity.

"I don't think I will get the chance but I'm not going to say I'm not available". Such a willingness for more of the "impossible". Much respect and love for him. Amazing legend. 💜

Being able to be on earth, look up at the moon knowing you’ve been there has got to be an incredible feeling

Neil Armstrong was a special man, he didn't "cheat death" in that lunar lander training vehicle, he made a correct quick decision that saved his life. His knowledge and understanding of the Gemini 8 systems saved his life and his fellow astronauts life.
His manual landing on the moon was calculated and superbly executed, he could see the computer was going to put them down in an unsuitable place. Neil Armstrong was the right man for that job.

Rest in peace Neil. A true American hero.

He seemed like the kind of guy I would have loved to have a conversation with. A true hero without ego. Just a very nice, sincere guy with an amazing legacy and story to tell.

How humble Neil Amstrong is. Love how he kept working and doing things like flying a plane with no engine.The closest as a bird that gives him a lot of excitement. He was right, astronauts has little time to spend with family due to the intense training and work. Interesting to know he expected a lot more than NASA achieved related to the Moon and permanence. Lack of competition think to matter, as far as he said.
A man I admire mostly because he was genuine, and humble.
Great interview!

Imagine the feeling you would have, to sit somewhere late at night, looking up at the moon in the night sky, and remembering you've been there once

So glad to have found this interview. Neil Armstrong. Pure class and humility to the bone. You have to think, when NASA does goes back to the moon, if Armstrong was still with us, he'd be a topic of much discussion when selecting the first crew to return. Sadly, all three involved in this piece are all gone now. Neil, Walter & Ed. Gone, but certainly not forgotten.

I admire Neil Armstrong's humility and remarkable calm. Barely escaped death in a test landing that crashed, but walked away and did paperwork. I can't think of a more deserving man to be the first to step on the moon. His absence was felt at the 50th anniversary commemoration.

Imagine going to class at the University of Cincinnati and one of your professors is literally Neil Armstrong!! I don't think I could've possibly ever paid attention to learning in that class, I'd be too busy asking him about 9000 questions every single day.