Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012


July 20, 1969.  I was 5, and my father had just returned from Vietnam.  He took me outside that night to see the Moon.  It was not quite this full - 6 days instead of 8 as pictured here - but still stunning.  A person was walking on the moon!  The Apollo program had a huge impact on my childhood, and strongly influenced my choice of engineering as a career.

There will be plenty of tributes to Neil Armstrong today, but for me, it is enough to say that a giant of American history has passed.

I took this photo this evening in memory of Neil.  May we honor his memory by continuing to explore the Universe.

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