He boldly went where no one had been before

RIP Neil Armstrong 1930-2012

The first man on the moon and the first man to look at our Earth from another world. How special must that moment have been? But despite being one of the most famous men in the world, he was humble and a modest, and was happy tinkering with things to find out how they worked. He was a man who was a quiet leader but cool under pressure, just relieve the final moments before touchdown on YouTube or somewhere to hear him and the relief back at mission control when they finally landed.

To me he was a hero, my interest in space was sparked by reading the exploits of the Apollo missions, the desire, and the passion, the ingenuity of man to dream the impossible and make it a reality. And space still makes me excited, just last week I saw the International Space Station (ISS) speed across the sky for the first time, it was awesome!

Where is that inspiration these days? Just recently we were inspired by the Olympics, but here we are 2/3 weeks later and we are celebrating reality tv and mediocrity. How good did it feel during the Olympics? It was awesome, that's what because we were united. I know we're in difficult times, and there are always risks, but sometimes it is possible to dream big and inspire a nation.

In JFK's "we choose to go to the Moon" speech he also said this "Well, space is there, and we're going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there." I hope we're able to inspire a new generation!

No sign of the moon tonight but as per the wishes of the Armstrong family, the next time I see it I'll think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink. And as we look up at the moon, we also realise that Neil's footprint from Apollo 11 remains there to this day, and will remain there for a long time yet.

You'll never be forgotten Neil Armstrong, you boldly went where no one had been before.