TYLER (KYTX) - Neil Armstrong made a lasting impression on the space program and our nation when he took the first step onto the moon in 1969.
Armstrong's family reported his death today, saying it stemmed from complications from cardiovascular surgery.
Those who witnessed the lunar landing know his legacy will live on.
"We were all gathered around the television to watch those first scratchy images that were beamed down from the moon," says Dr. Scott Lieberman about the lunar landing.
Lieberman was 7-years-old when he watched Apollo 11 land on the moon, and waited like the rest of the country, to hear the words from astronaut Neil Armstrong.
"As individuals they were larger than life, what they were trying to accomplish was just something that we all wished we could do," says Lieberman.
"He got bitten by the aviation bug as a kid and had his pilots license before he had his automobile drivers license," says John Glenn.
Armstrong was a decorated Korean war combat pilot, then he became a test pilot before stepping into the space program in 1962.
From there he was involved in the Gemini 8 flight before lifting off to what would put him in the history books, and in the view of generations to come, on July 16th, 1969 on Apollo 11.
"He truly was a person who dared greatly," says Glenn.
Armstrong was known as a private person who didn't speak much about the historic flight, but said this at the 30th anniversary celebration.
"In my own view, the important achievement of Apollo was a demonstration that humanity is not forever chained to this planet," said Armstrong in a file interview.
And leaving a lasting legacy through headlines, pictures and actions an entire nation won't soon forget.
With memorabilia at museums across the country, like the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum in Tyler.
And memories forever in the minds of anyone who saw the landing.
"They're remarkable examples of what science, ingenuity and American spirit put together can produce," says Lieberman.
Armstrong's family released a statement today saying they celebrate his life and hope it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard and make their dreams come true.
