Astronaut Neil Armstrong Dead at 82

First person to walk on the moon has passed away

By Brandi Fowler Aug 25, 2012 8:13 PMTags
Neil ArmstrongCentral Press/Getty Images

Neil Armstrong, the first human being to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 82, Reuters reports.

Details regarding his death have yet to be released, but the astronaut previously underwent a heart-bypass surgery earlier this month to relieve blocked coronary arteries. 

Armstrong made history when he became the first person to step foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, saying, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind," when he accomplished the feat.

His crewmate, Buzz Aldrin, soon joined him on the moon's surface, and the duo spent two hours walking around, taking rock samples and snapping photographs.

"There are great ideas undiscovered, breakthroughs available to those who can remove one of truth's protective layers," Armstrong once said. "There are places to go beyond belief."