阿姆斯特朗：他的脚印不仅留在了月球

Neil Armstrong shot to world-wide fame as the first person to step on the surface of the moon， a feat that marked a new era of human exploration. For the rest of his life he largely shunned the limelight.

尼尔·阿姆斯特朗曾凭借人类历史上第一个踏上月球表面的人这一荣誉一夜之间名扬四海，而登月的壮举标志着人类探索活动进入了一个新时代。不过他的后半生则基本上退出了公众视野。

Mr Armstrongs family released a statement confirming that he died from complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures performed Aug 8， 2012， three days after his 82nd birthday.

As commander of Apollo 11 in 1969， Mr Armstrong punctuated his exploit with the memorable phrase： Thats one small step for man， one giant leap for mankind. The mission transfixed people around the globe， including nearly one million spectators who flocked to the Florida launch site.

He resisted getting caught up in the hoopla， years later calling himself a “nerdy engineer”. Bucking intense pressure to use his celebrity status for political purposes or personal gain， the self-effacing Midwesterner left it to others to ponder the significance and broader meaning of his accomplishment.

The statement from Mr Armstrongs family referred to him as “a reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job”.

阿姆斯特朗的家人发表声明，证实他因2012年8月8日进行的心血管手术出现的并发症去世。手术的三天前他刚刚度过了82岁生日。

作为1969年“阿波罗11号”飞船的指挥官，阿姆斯特朗以令人难忘的一句话精辟地概括了自己的登月之举：这是我的一小步，却是人类的一大步。美国的登月计划震撼了全球，也震撼了涌入佛罗里达发射场地的近100万围观者。

他拒绝投入到火爆的宣传旋涡中，多年后他自称是一个“书生工程师”。这个不喜欢出风头的中西部人顶住了将自己的名人身份用于政治目的或获取个人利益的巨大压力，而把自己所取得成就的重要性和更广泛的意义留给他人去思考。

阿姆斯特朗的家人发表的声明称他是“一个不情不愿的美国英雄，他一直认为自己只是做了分内之事”。

Mr Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta， Ohio， on Aug 5， 1930， and spent part of his teenage years on a farm about 60 miles from where Orville and Wilbur Wright more than 25 years ago experimented. He took his first airplane ride at 6 years old.

Mr Armstrong flew 78 missions as a Navy combat pilot in the Korean War and later gained prominence as a civilian government test pilot.

During his historic moon exploration on July 20， 1969， some of Mr Armstrongs other transmissions reflected his unflappable demeanor. After returning to Earth， he appeared in a ticker-tape parade and a 28-city world tour， and the aviator was understated in describing his situation and surroundings some 240，000 miles above Earth. In one of his first transmissions to controllers on the ground， he calmly told them， “I tell you， were going to be busy for a minute.”

Later in the mission， Mr Armstrong， who earned his pilots license as a teenager and idolized Charles Lindbergh， epitomized the calm， assured tone astronauts prized. “Its different， but its very pretty out here，” he matter-of-factly told controllers. “I suppose they are going to make a big deal of all this.”

1930年8月5日，阿姆斯特朗出生在俄亥俄州沃帕科内塔，他的童年有一部分时间是在一个农场上度过的。在距离农场约60英里的地方，逾25年前莱特兄弟曾经进行过飞机试验。阿姆斯特朗六岁时第一次坐上了飞机。

朝鲜战争期间，阿姆斯特朗作为海军战斗机飞行员执行过78次飞行任务。后来，他在担任政府民航试飞员时脱颍而出。

在1969年7月20日阿姆斯特朗进行历史性的月球探索之旅期间，一些他与地面之间的其他通讯反映出了他的镇定自若。他返回地面后，参加了一场盛大游行和全球28个城市的巡回宣传活动，他轻描淡写地描述自己在地球上空约24万英里（约合38万公里）的太空中的情况和周围环境。在传送给地面控制中心的首批信息中，他冷静地对中心说：“我告诉你们，我们要忙上一会儿了。”

登月行动期间，阿姆斯特朗展现了宇航员冷静、自信的可贵品质。他十多岁时就取得了飞行执照，他的偶像是美国飞行英雄查尔斯·林白。他不带丝毫感情色彩地对地面控制中心说：“这里与地球不同，但非常漂亮。我想他们会把这一切搞得惊天动地。”

After the voyage， Mr Armstrong worked for a year as a high-level official at National Aeronautics and Space Administration （NASA） headquarters. In his authorized biography， published in 2005， Mr Armstrong fumed at the bureaucracy and the burden of frequent “appearances on demand” by lawmakers on Capitol Hill. He resigned and went on to teach at the University of Cincinnati.

Starting about 1980， he largely retreated from public view to enjoy the tranquillity of a restored 19th-century farmhouse. He raised cattle and corn， served on corporate boards and enjoyed his grandchildren. Always reluctant to talk to reporters， Mr Armstrong sometimes seemed uncomfortable even when he gave speeches or attended events commemorating advances in aviation and space.

登月之后，阿姆斯特朗在美国国家航空航天局（NASA）总部做了一年的高层官员。在2005年出版的授权传记中，阿姆斯特朗对官僚主义以及要在国会议员的要求下“经常露面”的负担表示不满。他随后辞职，去辛辛那提大学任教。

大约从1980年开始，阿姆斯特朗基本上退出了公众的视野，在一座翻修后的19世纪农舍中享受平静的生活。他养牛、种玉米，在公司董事会任职，享受着孙辈绕膝的生活。他一直不愿接受记者的采访，有时甚至在发表演讲或参加纪念航空航天进步的活动中也显得不自在。