Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon

Neil Armstrong was a quiet self-described nerdy engineer who became a global hero when as a steely-nerved pilot he made “one giant leap for mankind” with a small step on to the moon. The modest man who had people on Earth entranced and awed from almost a quarter million miles away has died. He was 82.

Section:Gallery

Sat., Aug. 25, 2012

FILE - 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.
FILE - In this July 20, 1969 file photo provided by NASA shows Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, the first men to land on the moon, plant the U.S. flag on the lunar surface.
FILE - In this Sept. 17, 1962 file photo, Neil Armstrong, one of the nine astronauts, is shown as he was introduced to the press, along with the other astronauts in Houston.
FILE - Apollo 11 Astronaut Neil Armstrong speaks at a celebration dinner honoring John Glenn in Columbus, Ohio.

Bill Ingalls Nasa
The Flight of Apollo 11 features the voices of John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Mission Control.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
FILE - In undated photo provided by NASA shows Neil Armstrong. Armstrong and fellow astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin spent nearly three hours walking on the moon, collecting samples, conducting experiments and taking photographs. In all, 12 Americans walked on the moon from 1969 to 1972.