Among all the tributes to Neil Armstrong, tucked away in the comments, there is a link to a unique series of 4 videos -- one long, excellent interview -- with CMDR Armstrong in 2011 in Australia. I've taken the liberty of copying the comment with its links, and I commend it to the attention of anyone who remembers those "thrilling days of yesteryear" and still hopes for the stars.
Neil Armstrong was famously (to his chagrin) a very modest individual. He was well aware that he and Buzz Aldrin had a lot of help getting to the surface of the moon. And he knew that it could have easily have been the crew of Apollo 12 that made the first landing. Or even 11's backup commander, James Lovell, Jr. He always maintained that being "the first man on the moon" was nothing he was going to toot his own horn about. And he shied away from the media his entire life.
So this extended interview is really something special. And it is all the more extraordinary that the organisation that managed to pull it off is CPA Australia—an organisation of professional accountants. Yes, you read that right. See this Popular Science post for the lowdown. That page also happens to have not only my favourite photo of Armstrong but also a super-cool Google Moon/Apollo 11 descent mashup video narrated by Neil Armstrong himself!
An Audience with Neil Armstrong
In this four part series the first man to walk on the moon, gives a personal commentary on Apollo 11’s historic lunar landing, his thoughts on leadership and taking risks to innovate for the future.
All things in the sky are pure to those who have no telescopes. – Charles Fort
by subtropolis on Sat Aug 25, 2012 at 10:23:50 PM EDT
Many thanks to subtropolis for posting this. The videos reminded me of what America did once and could do again, of a time when our dreams looked farther into the future than the next fiscal year or the next election.
To Neil Armstrong, Alan Sheppard, and Sally Ride, you led the way and called so many of us to follow, if only in our hearts and dreams. To Gus Grissom, Roger Chaffee, and Ed White, to the Challenger crew, to the Columbia crew -- you remind us of the dangers and the cost, and your courage calls us to keep on dreaming. Thanks, honor, and respect be yours.
President Obama -- win this election and get us moving together again. Upward and outward.