Neil Armstrong: American Hero

[Ed Hudgins]

Neil Armstrong: American Hero

By Edward Hudgins

August 27, 2012—As the Apollo 11 lunar module “Eagle” approached the surface of the Moon on July 20, 1969, the millions of people following the mission on TV and radio could hear the voice of a NASA controller calling out “sixty seconds … thirty seconds.” This was the time before the fuel would run out and the mission would have to be aborted.

Neil Armstrong took his time landing as he coolly maneuvered over a field of boulders in search of a flat surface. With less than half a minute to spare, he and Buzz Aldrin became the first to land on the Moon.

NASA had scheduled a four hour rest period for the astronauts after touchdown but there was no way after traveling 250,000 miles that excitement and adrenalin would let them sleep. Armstrong soon took “one giant leap for mankind,” becoming the first human to set foot on another world.

Armstrong’s cool focus was seen shortly before his mission as he practiced for the lunar landing in a rocket-powered trainer that looked like a hovering bed frame with long legs and a pilot seat where the mattress should have been. Something went wrong with it and it crashed in flames seconds after Armstrong ejected. Later that day fellow astronauts found him back at his desk quietly taking care of paperwork

Armstrong also had a brush with death on his 1966 Gemini 8 Earth orbital flight. A maneuvering rocket stuck open and his craft began spinning fast enough that it would have soon caused him and co-pilot David Scott to black out and die. Armstrong got the craft under control and made an emergency landing.

The word “hero” is bandied about too loosely these days so it’s right to reflect at the time of his death—a state he had cheated so often—that Neil Armstrong was the real thing.

First, he signed on to one of the most historic, audacious, visionary, and difficult projects ever attempted by human beings.

Second, he faced the greatest risks possible.

Third, his success was no accident. He was able to accomplish his mission because of his rationality, his cool mental focus, his discipline, and his training. He called upon the best within himself.

So here’s to Neil Armstrong, a true American hero!

-------

Hudgins is director of advocacy for The Atlas Society and editor of Space: The Free-Market Frontier.

Explore:

When We Walked on the Moon, July 17, 2009, Edward Hudgins

Apollo 11 on Human Achievement Day, July 20, 2005, Edward Hudgins

American Heroism, November, 2001, William R Thomas

[syrakusos]

I never could stand much of Tom Wolfe, but his The Right Stuff captured essential insights. It inspired me to learn to fly and eventually to work at Kennedy Space Center. Wolfe paints Armstrong as an outsider. He was a civilian test pilot in a program dominated by military jet fighter jocks. He came from operations, a desk jockey. When he flew, he tested freighters, not fighters. His breath-taking landing on the Moon was argued by other astronauts as not-quite-incompetence as he passed up one pre-chosen landing site after another, running the fuel down to where he had 8 seconds before a crash -- don't call it a crash "landing"... You can walk away from a crash landing on Earth because Earth has air and water and medical personnel...

If Neil Armstrong is iconic of anything it is individualism in the purest, truest metaphysical meaning of the word. The individual is unique, not reducible to prediction, and capable of unpredictably glorious achievement.

[Ed Hudgins]

If anything, Armstrong was too modest about his achievements. And his style and character was in contrast to many of his colleagues, including Buzz Aldrin, who I know personally. I haven't heard any really credible complaints about his passing up good landing spots, only that once Eagle was getting close to the surface and further down range from the spot NASA had pinpointed for touchdown things were a little different than in training. Of interest though was the fact that on the next landing, Apollo 12, Pete Conrad put his lander within walking distance of the earlier unmanned Surveyor lander.

[PDS]

NIce piece. Thank you.

[anthony]

I believe this is true, though not positive.

I read an anecdote today that may be known to you guys, about a comment he made

that puzzled his crew after returning from his Lunar walk.

He murmured: "Good luck, Mr.Gorsky."

Not for many years did he explain himself.

Apparently, as a boy, while retrieving a ball from his neighbor's yard, he

overheard a wife fighting with her husband, saying "Sex! You can forget about

sex. Not til that kid next door walks on the moon!"

Only after he'd found his neighbors had died, in 1995, did Armstrong relate this.

I agree with Ed and how "hero" is bandied about too often. It strips their humanity

to a degree. Like Michael says, this was an individualist, then a hero.

[Selene]

I believe this is true, though not positive.

I read an anecdote today that may be known to you guys, about a comment he made

that puzzled his crew after returning from his Lunar walk.

He murmured: "Good luck, Mr.Gorsky."

Not for many years did he explain himself.

Apparently, as a boy, while retrieving a ball from his neighbor's yard, he

overheard a wife fighting with her husband, saying "Sex! You can forget about

sex. Not til that kid next door walks on the moon!"

Only after he'd found his neighbors had died, in 1995, did Armstrong relate this.

I agree with Ed and how "hero" is bandied about too often. It strips their humanity

to a degree. Like Michael says, this was an individualist, then a hero.

Tony:

Correct.

However, the way I heard it must have been the x-rated version.

Supposedly the Mr. Gorsky wanted a blow job.

Adam

[anthony]

Ah! Now THAT rings more true.

[Brant Gaede]

I never could stand much of Tom Wolfe, but his The Right Stuff captured essential insights. It inspired me to learn to fly and eventually to work at Kennedy Space Center. Wolfe paints Armstrong as an outsider. He was a civilian test pilot in a program dominated by military jet fighter jocks. He came from operations, a desk jockey. When he flew, he tested freighters, not fighters. His breath-taking landing on the Moon was argued by other astronauts as not-quite-incompetence as he passed up one pre-chosen landing site after another, running the fuel down to where he had 8 seconds before a crash -- don't call it a crash "landing"... You can walk away from a crash landing on Earth because Earth has air and water and medical personnel...

If Neil Armstrong is iconic of anything it is individualism in the purest, truest metaphysical meaning of the word. The individual is unique, not reducible to prediction, and capable of unpredictably glorious achievement.

He did the job he was sent to do. To argue with his success is to beg that fact. He demonstrated both his competency and the competency of the Apollo program. Here is failure: three astronauts burning to death because of the pure oxygen content of their capsule. What moron stipulated such an environment to begin with? Two space shuttle disasters: the first should absolutely never have happened. It was all life or death needing tremendous courage. Let's wave a magic wand: There is an Apollo rocket ready to go and anyone reading this is suddenly a fully trained astronaut ready to be number two of the three man crew going back to the moon. Neil Armstrong will pilot the lander. Wanna get on board? If you don't go nobody will know it ever happened--only you. Wanna get on board? Wanna walk on the moon or die trying?

--Brant

blast off!--I just don't wanna go deep-sea diving to 33,000 feet down--screw that!

[syrakusos]

I believe this is true, though not positive.

Apparently, as a boy, while retrieving a ball from his neighbor's yard, he

overheard a wife fighting with her husband, saying "Sex! You can forget about

sex. Not til that kid next door walks on the moon!"

Tony: Correct.

However, the way I heard it must have been the x-rated version.

Supposedly the Mr. Gorsky wanted a blow job.

Adam

False:

http://www.snopes.co...es/mrgorsky.asp

It is an urban legend.

However, it does appear in The Watchmen, which, of course, takes place in an alternate universe.

Brant, I don't know if your rhetorical questions have answers. Am I incorrect in remembering that you are a combat veteran? I am risk averse myself, but I learned to fly. Every flight is a test flight -- and you spend more time planning than you do in the air. Just to say... we all take risks and we tend to minimize the expected risks of tasks with which we are familiar, such as driving on the freeway. (I had a professor who once won a bottle of wine by crossing the Champs Elysee non-stop without backtracking.)

[Brant Gaede]

I believe this is true, though not positive.

Apparently, as a boy, while retrieving a ball from his neighbor's yard, he

overheard a wife fighting with her husband, saying "Sex! You can forget about

sex. Not til that kid next door walks on the moon!"

Tony: Correct.

However, the way I heard it must have been the x-rated version.

Supposedly the Mr. Gorsky wanted a blow job.

Adam

False:

http://www.snopes.co...es/mrgorsky.asp

It is an urban legend.

However, it does appear in The Watchmen, which, of course, takes place in an alternate universe.

Brant, I don't know if your rhetorical questions have answers. Am I incorrect in remembering that you are a combat veteran? I am risk averse myself, but I learned to fly. Every flight is a test flight -- and you spend more time planning than you do in the air. Just to say... we all take risks and we tend to minimize the expected risks of tasks with which we are familiar, such as driving on the freeway. (I had a professor who once won a bottle of wine by crossing the Champs Elysee non-stop without backtracking.)

And I'm a pilot too.

--Brant

almost died in the Grand Canyon of heat stroke, age of 20

[Selene]

False:

http://www.snopes.co...es/mrgorsky.asp

It is an urban legend.

Thanks Mike...I always liked that story.

However, having been involved with a number of Jewish girls in the '60's getting blow jobs was pretty routine. Not sure whether it was the "risky" issue of me being Italian.

Additionally, there is a classic joke of...

How do you get a Jewish girl to stop blowing you?

Marry her.

Adam