Your memories of Neil Armstrong

8:28 AM Sunday Aug 26, 2012

Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, has passed away at the age of 82.

His feat, achieved with the assistance of Apollo 11 teammates Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins, has inspired countless people since 1969.

Of his experience, Armstrong once said "the sights were simply magnificent, beyond any visual experience that I had ever been exposed to."

Comment on this thread has now closed. Here is a selection of your thoughts and memories:

eyespyyou (South Auckland) | 09:14AM Sunday, 26 Aug 2012

This is one event I remember from my childhood vividly, our whole school was caught up in the excitement. Watching the astronauts stepping out of the lunar module will forever take me back to an excited child surrounded by friends.

Carl (New Zealand) | 09:44AM Sunday, 26 Aug 2012

Neil Armstrong was a great man in a huge team of great people. The landing of man on the moon was in my view one of the pinnacles of engineering achievement for mankind.

A truly amazing accomplishment using marginal technology of the time to bring to reality something people had dreamed about for centuries.

I remember first hearing the moonwalk over the primary school's public address speakers and I still think of it as something special. At the time, every boy knew who Neil Armstrong was and many dreamed of being him when they grew up.

It brings sadness to me to hear of his passing and with it the ending of that great era of manned space exploration and I hope a new era will not be too far away.

Lynz (Christchurch) | 10:18AM Sunday, 26 Aug 2012

A time of hope; Space was within our grasp. Few born since can even conceive how their World has been changed as a result of the Apollo Program. Imagine the gains if humanity had persisted with the energy and inspiration of those who Neil Armstrong typifies? With apologies to John Lennon, "I wonder if you can?"

Neil Armstrong was one man amongst many, but what a man. Space, the final frontier; on the shoulders of tens of thousands of co-workers, and the dreams of millions all around our bright blue marble - in a very real sense - he went there first. RIP.