Tributes for 'man on the moon' Armstrong

27 Aug 2012, 7:22 am   -   Source: AAP

Tributes have come from around the world for Neil Armstrong, the humble US astronaut whose "small step" on the moon captivated the world.

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Tributes have poured in following the death of Neil Armstrong, the humble US astronaut whose "small step" on the moon captivated the world and came to embody the wonder of space exploration.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Julia Gillard saluted "Neil Armstrong and the explorers who have followed him".

"His example of service, accomplishment and modesty - his triumph of reason and science and knowledge, and wisdom - will never die," she said.

Richard Branson, the British tycoon who is launching a space tourism program, hailed Armstrong as "an extraordinary individual".

Armstrong, who died on Saturday at the age of 82 from complications following heart surgery earlier this month, inspired generations to reach for the stars and etched his name next to one of the great milestones of human discovery.

The grainy black-and-white broadcast of Armstrong's moon walk on July 20, 1969 was seen by some 500 million people, his words capturing the promise of the still-young space age and briefly uniting a planet split by the Cold War.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," the earthbound heard Armstrong say, though he later claimed that an "a" before the word "man" had been lost in transmission.

US President Barack Obama, who was just two weeks short of his eighth birthday when the historic mission succeeded, said Armstrong had "delivered a moment of human achievement that will never be forgotten".

Armstrong's family praised him as a "reluctant American hero", saying they hoped his legacy would encourage young people "to be willing to explore and push the limits and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves".

The lunar pioneer was decorated by 17 countries and received a slew of US honours, but was never comfortable with his worldwide fame and shied away from the limelight.

In a rare television interview in 2005, Armstrong said he did not deserve the attention he received for being the first man on the moon, just steps ahead of fellow Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.

"I wasn't chosen to be first. I was just chosen to command that flight. Circumstance put me in that particular role," he said.

Armstrong even stopped signing memorabilia after learning his autographs were being sold at exorbitant prices.

John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, recalled Armstrong's legendary humility, telling CNN that the astronaut "didn't feel that he should be out huckstering himself".

Aldrin said he had hoped that he, Armstrong and Michael Collins, the third astronaut on the mission, would have met up in 2019 for celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11.

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