In this Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, file photo provided by NASA, Apollo 11 Astronaut Neil Armstrong speaks at a celebration dinner honoring John Glenn in Columbus, Ohio. The family of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, says he has died at age 82. AP/NASA, Bill Ingalls
CINCINNATI–The family of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, says he has died at age 82.
A statement from the family says he died following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. It doesn’t say where he died.
Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon July 20, 1969. He radioed back to Earth the historic news of “one giant leap for mankind.”
Armstrong and fellow U.S. astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin spent nearly three hours walking on the moon, collecting samples, conducting experiments and taking photographs.
In all, 12 Americans walked on the moon from 1969 to 1972.