Neil Armstrong has passed away at 82

Neil Armstrong passed away today at the age of 82 due to complications from a heart surgery he underwent some weeks ago.

For those who may not be in the know (shame on you) he was the first man to walk on the Moon.  I'm sad that he's gone, but at the same time how many of us can face death and say they did that?  He walked on the effin Moon!  Not to mention his other many accomplishments as a Navy pilot and test pilot.  It seems like he had a really fulfilled life.  My heart goes out to his family and I hope that they are doing well in the face of their loss.

I want to take a moment to talk about something that's been bugging me lately and I'm sad that it took Mr. Armstrong's death to finally push me into writing it out.

I think it's sad how little people are interested in space exploration and science these days.  I mean even when I was a kid in the 80's and 90's it seemed like people actually had an interest in space, and that was well after the space race of the 60's.

Granted I know there are important things to be worried about these days, such as the economy and making ends meet which needs no explanation.  It just seems like people have lost their curiosity and wonder in all of it.  I'm guilty of it too to an extent, but I still find time to read articles about our space program and what they're doing with it.  Heck I even find myself laying on the porch to gaze at the stars every once in a while.  You don't have to be a science wiz to find enjoyment in this stuff, just be conscious that there's more out there beyond our bubble here known as Earth.

We have a new rover on Mars right now.  ANOTHER PLANET.  It sends breath taking images of another world that NASA share's with the public, yet people seem more interested in who celebrities are dating and who's going to get kicked off of some idiotic reality show.

Now there is a point to my rambling.  I didn't want to use Neil Armstrong's death as a springboard for my opinion.  If you really want to honor him, turn off your tv and head outside to look at the moon tonight, or even just the stars.  Allow your mind to wonder what's out there and try to understand how unbelievably difficult the feat of landing on the moon was.  Let the kid in you that enjoyed science come back out even for just a few minutes.  Because I think that's what he would truly want, to know that mankind still has some yearning to explore, to question, and to better ourselves.

Thank you Mr. Armstrong for the courage you showed us by risking your life for the sake of knowledge.  May you rest in peace.