The Apollo 11 moon mission turned out to be Armstrong's last space flight. the public put on stepping down that ladder onto the surface itself, Neil never could really understand why there was so much focus on that.' Armstrong,' told CBS: 'All of the attention that. James Hansen, author of 'First Man: The Life of Neil A. 'I kind of hope that somebody goes up there one of these days and cleans them up,' he said. He once was asked how he felt knowing his footprints would likely stay on the moon's surface for thousands of years. 'I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks but for the ledger of our daily work,' Armstrong said in an interview on CBS's '60 Minutes' program in 2005. He even seemed frustrated by the acclaim it brought. Neil Alden Armstrong was 38 years old at the time of the landing and even though he had fulfilled one of mankind's quests that had loomed for centuries and placed him at the pinnacle of human achievement, he did not revel in his accomplishment. ''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.'

NASA chief Charles Bolden recalled Armstrong's grace and humility in a statement on Saturday. Michael Collins, who flew to the moon with Armstrong and served as the command module pilot said: ''He was the best, and I will miss him terribly.''

When he and his fellow crew members lifted off aboard Apollo 11 in 1969, they carried with them the aspirations of an entire nation.'

'Neil was among the greatest of American heroes - not just of his time, but of all time. US President Barack Obama also praised Armstrong following news of his death. 'On behalf of the Aldrin family we extend our deepest condolences to Carol & the entire Armstrong family on Neil's passing.

Armstrong first man on the moon