The late astronaut Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon, will be memorialized in ceremonies around the country on Friday (Aug. 31).
Armstrong, 82, passed away Aug. 25 due to complications resulting from cardiovascular surgery, which he underwent earlier this month.
In July 1969, Armstrong commanded Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission. His first words upon setting foot on the moon were, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."
Armstrong's family, together with invited guests including the first moonwalker's fellow astronauts and the leadership of NASA, were gathering for a private memorial service in Cincinnati. The ceremony at the Camargo Club, a private golf course, was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT).
The family's service was strictly invitation-only and closed to the press. Among the confirmed attendees are Apollo astronauts Bill Anders, Jim Lovell and Gene Cernan, as well as Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), who was to eulogize Armstrong. NASA's chief Charles Bolden and his deputy Lori Garver were also scheduled to attend. [Neil Armstrong - An Astronaut Icon (Photos)]
National remembrances
According to NASA, planning is underway for a national service to be held in Washington, D.C. sometime in the next two weeks.
In the meantime, two NASA centers were holding public tributes on Friday.
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the visitor center for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., announced a 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) ceremony around its vertical Saturn V rocket display, where red, white and blue balloons would be released in memory of Armstrong.
The Kennedy Space Center in Florida was also set to meet around its moon rocket exhibit at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where center director Robert Cabana was set to lead the remembrance.
President Barack Obama ordered flags be flown at half mast on the day Armstrong was interred, although when that will occur and where the late moonwalker will be laid to rest is not yet public.
Wink at the (blue) moon
Earlier this week, the Armstrong Air and Space Museum in the astronaut's hometown of Wapakoneta, Ohio held a public tribute, where attendees gathered to "wink at the moon," a gesture first suggested by Armstrong's family.
"For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink," the family said in a statement.
In a coincidental bit of cosmic alignment, Friday is a "blue moon," or the second full moon of the month.
More tangible tributes are underway on television and in print.
The Discovery Channel is set to air "One Giant Leap: A Neil Armstrong Tribute," a new one-hour documentary, on Saturday at 8 p.m. EDT (check local listings). The program includes footage from Armstrong's final public appearance and interviews with Apollo 11 crewmates Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins.
And Easton Press, which specializes in limited edition, leather-bound books, has partnered with LIFE magazine to publish a special 96 page photo retrospective. The book, "Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012," is set for release in October.
Armstrong's family has established the "Neil Armstrong New Frontiers Initiative," a memorial fund benefiting the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. They have asked that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to the Initiative or to two scholarship funds setup in Armstrong's name by the Telluride Foundation and by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
For more information about the Neil Armstrong scholarship and memorial funds, see neilarmstronginfo.com.
''Neil Armstrong and the Space Generation''
In Southern California, August 25, 2012, is a beautiful Saturday, all blue sky, warm sunshine, and cool breeze. The semester will begin on Monday, and we are at home revising a book proposal. Neil Armstrong, the first human being to stand on the Moon, is eighty-two years old and living in Cincinnati. Today, Armstrong dies. The first era of U.S. manned spaceflight ends, and we are the adults of this nation now. Armstrong and eleven other men visited the Moon, but those of us who were watching, as young as we might have been then, are the space generation.
The time that has elapsed between the moment Armstrong left humanity's first lunar footprints, permanently enshrined in the Moon's soil, not subject to wind or rain, to the day of his death spans our conscious lives. Our first memories of life include that of Armstrong's bulky white form, gracelessly clambering down the lunar module's ladder leg. As toddlers, we may not have known what the meaning of that moment was, but even young children sense meaning, recognize when a thing or event has meaning.
Armstrong had been just thirty-eight years old when he flew on Apollo 11. We are in our mid-forties ourselves now. We're past middle age. It's time we grow up--or admit that we've grown up. Just as we stood on the shoulders of the previous generation, we must ensure that our shoulders are strong enough to support those will follow us.
Earlier this month, Armstrong celebrated his birthday, then had heart bypass surgery. His arteries were clogged, not an unusual occurrence, not something that made the headlines. He'd shied away from the limelight after the initial hoopla over the Moon landing, so news of his health wasn't something we'd seen. On August 25, the reports on this sunny Saturday are that his recovery appeared to be going well but that complications arose. Complications sound unusual but are not. Complications can even happen to the first person to walk on the Moon. Life is full of complications.
The news stories, public condolences, and commemorations begin to pile up quickly. NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden makes a statement:
"As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world beyond our own. Besides being one of America's greatest explorers, Neil carried himself with a grace and humility that was an example to us all. When President Kennedy challenged the nation to send a human to the moon, Neil Armstrong accepted without reservation."