Neil Armstrong, the first man to step on the surface of the moon

has died. He was 82 years old.

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. astronaut, Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, has died at the age of 82, U.S. media reported on Saturday.

Armstrong underwent a heart-bypass surgery earlier this month, just two days after his birthday on August 5, to relieve blocked coronary arteries.

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. As he stepped on the moon's dusty surface, Armstrong said: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

I was just an toddler and in the hospital after falling out of the third story window at my family's apartment next to Tower Grove Park, in St. Louis, when Neil Armstrong, And Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. I was too young to know the great achievement, that had just transpired.

However through my life I have always been fascinated with space and the idea of space travel.

He was a great man, who inspired thousands of individuals, and he will be missed.