Neil Armstrong has died. What did the astronauts and NASA do for you?

As a young girl, I wanted to be an astronaut. I have spent my entire life in awe of the universe, and on the simplest level NASA has been my connection to exploring that. I have to admit, I teared up a little to hear that he passed, but I would be hard pressed to believe that he died without the knowledge that he did something extraordinary in his lifetime, and I have to think that is what most of us want to feel in our last moments. That we did something that matters, that we lived our lives to the fullest.

I was quite shocked when I heard the news. I stayed up late to watch Neil Armstrong land on the moon. It was very tense and exciting. I thought it was wonderful and amazing but I couldn’t see any other point to it. I thought even at the time that the moon would never become a new frontier unless we could find a better way of propelling vehicles through space.

It gave many of us the idea that maybe we could work together to surpass our earthly concerns. It gave us the idea that there were still peaceful heroes among us, that good and decent men could work hard to achieve something out of this world.

And the pictures they sent back of our little planet alone in the galaxy, the wondrous blue marble, gave us a sense that humanity is precious and needs to take care of its home.

He gave me five bucks one time.

No, but it’s sad that he’s dead now.

Obviously it’s sad that he’s dead. I still remember watching the moon landing on TV. I was just a little tacker but I can understand how awe inspiring that was.

Rather than feel sad though I would rather think “WOW! What a life he had”. How many people can say “I walked on the moon” or “I have been in a space ship and seen Earth from out there…”. Amazing.

A true American hero, and his passing is sad.

Computers and memory foam have been big in my life, and I thank NASA for both of them.

… I literally just made an Astronaut Panda bear at Build-A-Bear, and named him Neil Armstrong.

Cute. Share a photo of the bear Neil Armstrong.

I got a “Buzz” out of space travel….....guffaw!!

The news of his passing brought me to tears. He lived the dreams of all mankind for a thousand generations. God bless and receive him.

Look at all of the scientific advances that resulted from the space program. Robotic arms for NASA led to robotic surgery in the hospital. The life support systems in a spacesuit helps firefighters. The fuel pump for the space shuttle has been redesigned to work as a heart transplant (not an entire heart, just the left ventricle… but still, it has saved lives)….

We all benefited, whether we know it or not.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/1752963/Top-25-things-NASA-has-done-National-Aeronautics-And-Space-Administration-celebrates-50th-anniversary.html

Broadened our horizons even if we ourselves weren’t there. R.I.P. ROCKET MAN.

Was never into space exploration myself, but I do recognize how kick ass exploring space and learning about it is.
That said, my dad was a huge space nut, and he said he watched the moon landing in a bar, when it happened.
As for Neil Armstrong passing away, well may he rest in peace, and his exploits always remembered.

I mean the guy was pretty fucking awesome. I mean being an astronaut. Not everybody has the guts to do that.

R.I.P. Mr. Armstrong! History will never forget you!
Aside from the technological advancements, NASA fed my childhood interest in space exploration and, ultimately, science in general. The Apollo missions opened a door to colonizing the Moon – a door that we have not yet stepped through, but hangs open, daring us, all the same. Here’s hoping that we go back and do something more permanent soon.

I woke up to the news this morning and just started bawling.

I’m currently studying aerospace engineering, just like Neil did, because I never grew out of my dream of being an astronaut. Need I say more?