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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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40 Years On, Armstrong Remains an Enigma

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(Newser) – Forty years ago today Neil Armstrong strode across the surface of the moon and became the most famous man in the galaxy. Then he disappeared—leaving NASA for a university job, attending almost no public functions, and refusing nearly all interview requests. "Neil was very much the same person after Apollo 11 as he was before it," a space historian tells the Washington Post. "The pragmatism, the modesty, the shyness were there from an early age."

Some speculate that Armstrong's caution and reticence led commanders to pick him over Buzz Aldrin as the first man to leave the spacecraft. Privately, he has confided to colleagues that he never wanted his whole career to be reduced to one two-hour walk. Yesterday he made a rare public appearance at a NASA ceremony, at which Aldrin and Michael Collins both called for a return to the moon. Armstrong didn't—saying simply, "The future is difficult to foresee."

A 1969 photo of Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins and Buzz Aldrin after returning from the moon on Apollo 11.
A 1969 photo of Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins and Buzz Aldrin after returning from the moon on Apollo 11.   (AP Photo/ThinkFilm)
Neil Armstrong speaks during a rare public lecture in honor of Apollo 11 at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington yesterday.
Neil Armstrong speaks during a rare public lecture in honor of Apollo 11 at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington yesterday.   (AP Photo/Bill Ingalls/NASA)
On the eve of the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11's moon landing, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and former Johnson Space Center director Chris Kraft at the National Air and Space Museum.
On the eve of the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11's moon landing, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and former Johnson Space Center director Chris Kraft at the National Air and Space Museum.   (AP Photo/Bill Ingalls/NASA)
Neil Armstrong, left, and Buzz Aldrin place an American flag on the surface of the moon, near the lunar lander that brought them to the lunar surface.
Neil Armstrong, left, and Buzz Aldrin place an American flag on the surface of the moon, near the lunar lander that brought them to the lunar surface.   (AP Photo/NASA, file)
Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong at a ticker tape parade in New York, August 13, 1969.
Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong at a ticker tape parade in New York, August 13, 1969.   (AP Photo/Eddie Adams, file)
Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander, is seen inside the Lunar Module while it rested on the surface of the moon.
Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander, is seen inside the Lunar Module while it rested on the surface of the moon.   (AP Photo/NASA, file)
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13 comments
VIEWING:
 
ListenEllipse
Jul 20, 09 6:55 AM CDT
Maybe he's still embarrassed about messing up his first words on the moon. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
paul123
Jul 20, 09 10:23 AM CDT
He didn't mess the words up, he got them correct. The words were: That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind. Unfortunately, the words "a" got lost and garbled in the static and wasn't clear. Recent analysis of the audio has shown this, reguardless of what snopes says on the matter.
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+1
IN RESPONSE:
carol
Jul 20, 09 12:49 PM CDT
Neil Armstrong, as the first man to walk on the moon has held this honor with the upmost dignity. He never let the "celebrity" crap interfere with his personal life. The space program brought many great inventions to improve our lives.....go google this.
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IN RESPONSE:
AClotfelter
Jul 20, 09 1:07 PM CDT
Sorry, paul, he flubbed the line. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just the way it happened.
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IN RESPONSE:
Mad
Jul 20, 09 2:08 PM CDT
I cant see why so many voted you down on this. I think his flub may be at least part of why he is such the reluctant hero
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