Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died, his family said today. He was 82. Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. He underwent heart surgery this month.
He and fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins blasted off in Apollo 11 on a nearly 250,000-mile journey to the moon that went down in the history books. It took them four days to reach their destination. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong, at age 38, became the first person to set foot on the moon.
After his historic mission, Armstrong worked for NASA, coordinating and managing the administration's research and technology work. In 1971, Armstrong resigned from NASA and taught engineering at the University of Cincinnati for nearly a decade. While many people are quick to cash in on their 15 minutes of fame, Neil Armstrong largely avoided the public spotlight and chose to lead a quiet, private life with his wife and children.