NASA landed the first humans on the Moon on July 20, 1969, under the banner of the Apollo 11 mission. The Moon landing saw astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins safely fly to the Moon and back. Hailed an American hero, Commander Armstrong proudly led the Moon landing 50 years ago this month. But in a resurfaced interview from 2005, the NASA astronaut admitted there were aspects of the job he has strongly regretted over the years.
Speaking to Ed Bradley on a special edition of CBS’ 60 Minutes, Armstrong spoke about the effect his work for NASA had on his family life.
Shedding light on the behind-the-scenes realities of the space programme, the astronaut said being away from his family for long periods was his biggest regret.
Commander Armstrong said: “The one thing I regret, was that my work required an enormous amount of my time and a lot of travel.
“I didn’t get to spend the time I would have liked with my family as they were growing.”
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The astronaut had two sons and a daughter with his first wife Janet Shearon.
The couple’s daughter Karen died at the age of three due to complications from brain cancer.
After 38 years of marriage, the Armstrongs divorced in 1994.
He later remarried to Carol Held Knight that same year and the pair lived together until Armstrong’s death at the age of 82 in 2012.
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When asked about the impact of his daughter’s death on his work, the astronaut said he put on a brave face.
Commander Armstrong said: “It’s difficult for me to know. I thought the best thing for me to do in that situation was to continue with my work, continue things as normal as I could and try as hard as I could not to have it affect my ability to do useful things.
“At the time I thought the family was handling it well and I was doing the best I could.”
Commander Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, Wapakoneta, Ohio.
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Between 1949 and 1952 he served as a naval aviator before joining the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1955.
One the next 17 years he would work as an engineer, test pilot and astronaut for NACA and its successor, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
During his time at NASA, he flew the experimental X-15 jet aeroplane, flew more than 200 different aircraft and took part in the Gemini and Apollo programmes.
In 1962, Armstrong became a full-fledged astronaut and was assigned to be the Commander of the Gemini 8 mission.
When he led Apollo 11 in the summer of 1969, he became the first human being to walk on a world other than Earth.
NASA said: “Armstrong subsequently held the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.
“In this position, he was responsible for the coordination and management of overall NASA research and technology work related to aeronautics.
“He was Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati between 1971-1979.”
Neil Armstrong died on August 27, 2012, following complications from cardiovascular surgery.