Neil Armstrong, first man on moon, dies at 82
US astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, has died.
Rex Features
He was 82.
Earlier this month Armstrong had surgery to relieve blocked coronary arteries.
He made history when he became the first human being to set foot on the moon on 20 July 1969.
He famously described the occasion as "one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind".
Armstrong was the commander of the Apollo 11 mission, along with fellow astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.
Armstrong and Aldrin spent a total of two and a half hours exploring the lunar surface while Michael Collins remained in orbit in the Command Module.
He was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Richard Nixon along with Collins and Aldrin, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009.
Armstrong's family issued a statement on news of his death, saying: "The next time you... see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."
More to follow.
