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image by USAF (source)
Neil Armstrong passed away over the weekend at age 82. I had difficulty getting through the article about it because I found my eyes unexpectedly welling up with tears; I hadn't realized the man and his achievement meant that much to me.
A lot of very dedicated, very talented people helped make possible the"one small step" that Armstrong took onto the surface of the Moon on July 20, 1969. But it was Armstrong--the quiet, self-described "nerdy engineer"--to whom the chance fell--whose dedication, skill, and unshakable nerve had got him there--and it was Armstrong who knew how to crystallize that unbelievably awesome moment, how to make it at once human and immortal. In the history of the human race, how many individuals have stood on the edge of eternity, knowing that their next action would forever define a point in the life of the species?
Few, I think. Very, very few. Neil Armstrong had the chance and he hit it out of the park, and that's why we remember him--why people will go on remembering him long after most other things we remember today have long since been forgotten. And even when, perhaps, his nerve finally shook a bit under the pressure of the eyes of a fifth of the human race riveted on him across the largest gulf of space our eyes had ever crossed, and he didn't quite get out all the words he meant to get out--he meant to say "one small step for A man"--it still worked out for the best.
| "Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink." - The Armstrong family |
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