Astronaut Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander, inside the lunar module as it rests on the moon's surface after he completed his moonwalk on 20 July 1969. Image by NASA
A public memorial service to honour the life and career of the late astronaut Neil Armstrong will be taking place at the Washington National Cathedral on 13 September and NASA will be streaming the service live via its television channel.
Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died on 25 August at the age of 82, following complications after cardiovascular surgery.
As the commander of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong made space history when he set foot on the moon on 20 July 1969 and subsequently spent two and a half hours exploring its lunar surface.
His words, “that is one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind”, have become engrained in history since Armstrong became the first human being to ever set foot on another surface beyond Earth.
In terms of the public memorial service, NASA administrator Charles Bolden is set to attend the ceremony, as well as members of Armstrong’s family, political leaders and past and present NASA astronauts.
NASA will be broadcasting the service live from its television channel from 10am (EDT).
