R.I.P Neil Armstrong

In a real bit of sad news, U.S astronaut Neil Armstrong passed away this morning at the age of 82. President Obama called him "a great American hero, not just of his time, but of all time" which I think is still an understatement. Armstrong was truly a world hero, in the same way that Yuri Gagarin or anyone else who has set records in space exploration is a hero. But Armstrong truly outshines them all, I mean he landed on the moon.

His achievements and those of NASA at the time must surely go down as the greatest accomplishment of the 20th century. A century otherwise so fraught with violence and conflict. Some have even said that the moon landing was done as much to beat the Soviets there as to do it, but I find that a sad way to look at it. Forty years on the reasons for so much of the Cold War seem so stupid and really incomprehensible to someone in my generation. You want to put missiles in Cuba? You want to interfere in Vietnam's anti-colonial movement? Sounds dumb to me. But this accomplishment puts all of that in its place and shows just what humans can do if we put our heads to it. I mean when one looks back at ancient Egypt one tends not to dwell on conflict with the Hittites or the Phonecians but we all know about the pyramids. I firmly believe that Neil Armstrong's achievements will mirror that for the United States in generations to come.

As a person he was also very humble, speaking out only occasionally such as in 2010 when he was openly critical of President Obama's cuts to NASA funding (a criticism that is very just in my opinion) but otherwise keeping to himself. He taught at the University of Cincinnati until he retired, gave only periodic interviews and never gave in to the temptation to use his stature to sell products or influence decisions in Washington outside of NASA.

He was truly a great man, a hero and a credit to all of humanity. R.I.P.