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Neil Armstrong dead
Posted:
Sat Aug 25, 2012 5:08 pmby ys
I just read this in one of our newspapers. I'm not going to link since it was in Swedish. Apparently he died from complications after a heart surgery at the age of 82. Anyway, this is really an exceptional icon that passed away. All of these guys who dared to travel to the moon are really heroes according to me.
Strange enough I was just glancing at the recent topic about the other Armstrong. Then shortly after I read this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Armstrong
Re: Neil Armstrong dead
Posted:
Sat Aug 25, 2012 5:26 pmby Axm
Damn. This is a horrible loss. What a hero he was. Risking his life for the sake of science and mankind. Im such a fan of the cold war space race. That era was so historical. He's probably one of the most recognizable names in history. Cant believe it. Would honestly appriciate a holiday in honor of Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins.
Re: Neil Armstrong dead
Posted:
Sat Aug 25, 2012 5:32 pmby Peter
Gods sake. First Lance is disgraced in the world of cycling, then Neil passes away. Hope nothing goes wrong to Stretch.
Re: Neil Armstrong dead
Posted:
Sat Aug 25, 2012 5:53 pmby Crimson Ryan
Peter wrote:Gods sake. First Lance is disgraced in the world of cycling, then Neil passes away. Hope nothing goes wrong to Stretch.
Haha! Oh dear..
Re: Neil Armstrong dead
Posted:
Sat Aug 25, 2012 6:25 pmby Riku Rose
This sucks. Strange it happens around the same time space travel has been getting more press in the last few weeks.
RIP
Re: Neil Armstrong dead
Posted:
Sat Aug 25, 2012 6:41 pmby south carmain
I only payed attention to armstrong in the title and thought lance had died as a result of his medal/title losses, now I don't know if i should feel sad or relieved lol
Re: Neil Armstrong dead
Posted:
Sat Aug 25, 2012 7:17 pmby KiBa
I'm shocked. I was just reading about him last week, wondering how much longer he'd be around. Now this was a true hero for all mankind. The first man to step foot on another world. What extraordinary courage. All the space explorers. There should be an international event to honor his life and grand achievement. 
But the best way to honor him is to not give up space exploration just because a bunch of stupid plutocrats and cynical lazy young people want to hold humanity back (so one will notice how rotten they are). Armstrong, Aldrin, et al said time after time in interviews how deeply ashamed they are of the younger generations, and how they all fully expected at the time that there would be colonies on Mars by now, and how leaders after them let humanity down. They were right, as evidenced by the incredibly cool-headedness of people back then versus the ridiculous behavior of people today whenever the slightest victory is achieved.I can't believe nobody posted the great moment:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7c-PbfnQuw[/youtube]
Re: Neil Armstrong dead
Posted:
Sat Aug 25, 2012 7:27 pmby Spokane
It took some guts to do what he did, rest in peace, you did a lot for the world of science and will continue to be an icon.
Re: Neil Armstrong dead
Posted:
Sat Aug 25, 2012 8:10 pmby Kenny
It's a damn shame but he lived a long life at least.
Re: Neil Armstrong dead
Posted:
Sat Aug 25, 2012 8:15 pmby mrslig100
And sesame street's count von count is dead, two in one day, dark times we live in.
Re: Neil Armstrong dead
Posted:
Sat Aug 25, 2012 8:31 pmby Axm
Great scene here from the movie documentary "In the Shadow of the Moon". Proof this guy had balls of steel.
I recommend everyone see this whole doc sometime. Its one of my favorites.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPT5gBqmYbY[/youtube]
Re: Neil Armstrong dead
Posted:
Sun Aug 26, 2012 8:16 amby ys
KiBa wrote:But the best way to honor him is to not give up space exploration just because a bunch of stupid plutocrats and cynical lazy young people want to hold humanity back (so one will notice how rotten they are). Armstrong, Aldrin, et al said time after time in interviews how deeply ashamed they are of the younger generations, and how they all fully expected at the time that there would be colonies on Mars by now, and how leaders after them let humanity down. They were right, as evidenced by the incredibly cool-headedness of people back then versus the ridiculous behavior of people today whenever the slightest victory is achieved.
I fully agree. As astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says : we stopped dreaming and exploring the frontiers. Which ultimately leads to humanity stagnating.
My father once told me that it was amazing to witness the moon landing on tv and then shortly after look up at the moon and realize that people were there right now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_F3pw5F_Pc
He discusses this at length in other videos though and states the fact that science that may seem abstract now very often leads to practical uses later. For example quantum mechanics led to the transistor which is the basis for things people take for granted : computers, smartphones,...
People criticizing the cost usually have no idea either of all the practical applications that came out of space exploration back then. Several things in medicine for example. Just like the particle accelerator at CERN now who also participates in medical research.
And talking about leaders, Neil was allowed to make his case for a bigger space science budget in the Senate. I think about 2-3 senators showed up.
Thanks for the documentary Axm. You can notice there how humble these guys are, as KiBa remarked, considering what they pulled off. I can only imagine how nervous they probably were going to the van that would take them to the launchpad and then actually wait for the launch.