Mars Society Mourns the Passing of Neil Armstrong

The Mars Society and its members were saddened to learn yesterday of the passing of Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 astronaut and the first person to walk on the surface of the Moon. Our organization would like to express its sincere condolences to Mrs. Armstrong and the entire Armstrong family.   "Neil Armstrong was a patriot and a pioneer," said Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin.  "In every way he was an exemplar of the great human spirit which seeks to go where no one has gone, to know what has never been known, to do what has never been done.  His life's story calls to all of us to rise to our own higher natures, just as his immortal words when first setting foot on our neighbor world challenged us.  Will the Apollo 11 mission ultimately be remembered as a 'giant leap for mankind,' the first step in opening an infinite frontier?  Or will it recede into history as merely a grand stunt that led nowhere?  The answer to that question is up to us.  Let us therefore reflect on this great and good man's life, and resolve to find and summon to action the Neil Armstrong within ourselves, so that he, and the nation that dared with him, did not dare in vain." [Image: NASA]