Neil Armstrong: Apollo and Beyond

Introduction: The passing of an icon

It should be noted at the outset that this discussion has only a peripheral connection to 'Space Law'. It was impossible, however, to let the death of a true space pioneer go by without writing my own tribute. In this age of instant interaction and 24 news cycles, the passing of someone as iconic and significant as Neil Armstrong was always going to generate blogs and tweets and all manner of comment. This blog, however, hopefully benefits from a little distance from the range of emotions felt upon hearing the news of the death of Armstrong. It is not intended to be a potted biography of Armstrong, for that you should consult James Hansen's definitive book, the official NASA citation or (perhaps most accessibly) space reporter Reg Turnill's obituary in The Guardian newspaper. Instead, this post hopes to use the life of Armstrong as a prism through which to look at the future of space travel interspersed with some personal reflections on the life of the first man on the moon. 

May 1 1968: Neil Armstrong ejects from the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle

The Thoughtful Hero

In his wonderful book "Carrying the Fire, An Astronaut's Journeys" Michael Collins gave a brief discussion of the key characters in the Astronaut Office and provided a unique insight into his colleague, the first man who would walk on the moon;

"(He) makes decisions slowly and well. As (Frank) Borman gulps decisions, Armstrong savours them - rolling them around on his tongue like a fine wine and swallowing at the very last moment (He had 20 seconds of fuel remaining when he landed on the moon). Neil is a classy guy, and I can't offhand think of a better choice to land on the moon" (Collins, 2001, 60)

It was that thoughtfulness and sureness of decision making that saved Armstrong's life on at least two occasions in space. Collins alluded to the calmness that he employed in trying to find an appropriate landing site for the LM as it was running out of fuel. Even before then, Armstrong, as commander of Gemini 8, was faced with a thruster error that had caused the craft to start to roll. He tried to correct the roll using the orbital manoeuvring thrusters and worked his way through the systems until deciding the only way to save the craft was to activate the thrusters reserved for re-entry.

In both of these cases, Armstrong remained the consummate engineer, assessing the systems for the optimal solution, unmoved by extraneous considerations. Indeed, his (public) reaction to moon landing centred more around a satisfaction of achieving all of the mission objectives rather than any desire to occupy a privileged position in the history of humanity (see Hansen, 2005, 361-373). In a world ever more obsessed with ephemeral celebrity gossip and the craving for material gratification, Armstrong was the perfect custodian of a legacy that would have driven lesser men to insanity.

 Artist illustration of CST-100 Craft developed by Boeing (Boeing Image) Image sourced from www.sen.com 

"One Giant Leap" - Looking to the future

Armstrong never flew in Space following his historic few weeks in July 1969 but that did not mark the end of his contribution to human spaceflight. He served on the Cortwright Panel that investigated the malfunction on Apollo 13 and then in 1986, following the loss of the Space Shuttle Challenger, he was asked to serve as Vice Chair on the Rogers Commission (for a fascinating discussion on this inquiry see Part 2 of Richard P. Feynman's What Do You Care What Other People Think?).

More recently in 2010, in a rare public appearance, he was highly critical of the Obama Space Plan and doubted that the private sector could fill the gap left by the reduction of NASA's budget. There has been an undoubted upsurge in private sector activity over the last 12 months and there is no doubt that Armstrong would have looked on with satisfaction at the apparent success of the Mars Curiosity mission. But it is Human Spaceflight Capability which captures the spirits and imagination in a way that is tangible. Armstrong bemoaned its loss and there is a resonance with his concerns about the lack of impressive projects which stir the soul and boost the profile of all forms of space exploration.

The Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA) is currently the closest to having an active lunar exploration program, setting an ambitious goal of returning a man to the moon by 2025. This deadline is looking increasingly unrealistic and no other national or international space agency is close to that. Indeed, a human mission to Mars is, currently looking like the stuff of science fiction. Yet, while optimism for an achievable human spaceflight comparable to the Apollo must be limited, Armstrong's misgivings over private space entrepreneurs may be misplaced. At present, companies such as Planetary Resources seem to represent the best hope of re-establishing an active, human spaceflight exploration programme. What Armstrong realised, as the figurehead of Apollo, was that for humanity to return to the moon or venture even further afield, the resources of a rich industrialised nation are needed.

 Neil Armstrong on the moon (reflected in the visor of Buzz Aldrin)

Tranquility Base

Armstrong died on 25th August 2012, a few weeks after his 82nd birthday his death, the Armstrong family issued a statement that concluded:

"For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."

Scientists, fellow astronauts and political leaders, including President Barack Obama all voiced their tributes. The death of Neil Armstrong robs humanity of a direct link to one of the defining events in human history. Arthur C. Clarke postulated that in 1000 years, Apollo might be the only thing that is remembered about our society. If that is the case, then the name of Neil Armstrong will be central to the telling of that story.

Neil Alden Armstrong b. 5 August 1930; d. 25 August 2012