76. NEIL ARMSTRONG: A giant among men
Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) was a aerospace engineer, Navy pilot, test pilot, university professor and did something else I’m not sure of. Oh right, he was an astronaut and was the first human to set foot on the moon! Silly me. I’m sure you’ve all read many tributes and better-written obituaries to this great man, so I’ll just be brief. In my opinion the most impressive thing about Armstrong was his humility. He hated the public spotlight, did very few interviews, was intensely private and always modest. The thing is, he could totally be forgiven for having a huge ego because let’s face it, Neil Armstrong was freakin’ awesome!! He was just the best. Let’s do a quick rundown of his awesomeness credentials: He got his pilot’s license when he was 15, before he was old enough to drive. He flew in 78 combat missions during the Korean War. After the war he became a test pilot where he flew over 200 aircraft. 200! Those were extremely dangerous and experimental aircraft. I can’t think of a more badass job, except maybe oh, I dunno, how about an astronaut?! As command pilot of Gemini 8 he completed the first successful docking of two spacecraft and while testing landing vehicles for the Apollo missions he barely survived a crash when he ejected himself from an out-of-control vehicle the moment before it burst into flames (check out the footage, it’s crazy). Even more incredible is the fact he went back to work that same afternoon. Then of course, during the Apollo 11 landing, Armstrong took over manual control after noticing the Lunar landing module was off-track and was all like “Relax dudes, I’ve got this”. The fact he remained humble after all these achievements and played down his role in history is just so damn impressive. What a guy.
- Here’s a nice tribute video from Hank Green of SciShow.
- I don’t actually have a source for this quote. Does anyone know specifically when Armstrong said it?
- Thanks to Kapitein and Derek for suggesting this quote.
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One word… awesome!
Agreed. A total badass~
This is one of your best yet mate! Love it.
Love it.
Quote, art, the sentiment. Perfect.
Brilliant! Great comic as always!
a great one..
Great job. Growing up in Florida, I always will remember watching the launches from Apollo through the Shuttles. Nothing better than seeing spaceships launch into space.
Thanks for your great efforts, Neil. And Gavin!
Man, in a very clever way, your comics, your art, your work, your borrowed inspiration… all of them… make my days. Thank you, and if this is really what makes you feel worth and happy, keep on it.
:””””D
LOL. I had just sent you that email about helping us promote our petition in Neil Armstrong’s honor and you were already finished with some Armstrong artwork.
If you would like to help us rename Columbus Day to Exploration Day, visit http://www.ExplorationDayUSA.org
We need 25,000 signatures in 29 days.
Thanks!
I linked to this on our Facebook page as well:
http://www.facebook.com/ExplorationDayUSA
Don’t forget that during Gemini VIII, one of the attitude control thrusters on the Atlas-Agena target vehicle that Armstrong and Scott had docked to failed, thus resulting in the combined Gemini/Atlas-Agena vehicle to begin spinning wildly out of control (something like a revolution per second) causing Armstrong to have to take manual control, stabilize the two spacecraft, and safely abort the mission. The man was amazing.
I can only find some solace in knowing that I am fortunate enough to have lived in the age of this hero.
Actually, the faulty thruster was on the Gemini craft. They thought it was on the Agena and undocked, which made the spin worse. By the time Neil got control of it, the spin had peaked at 400 degrees per second.
The accounts I have read say that they didn’t know what thruster was causing the problem and detached from the Agena out of fear of the spin wrenching the two craft apart violently.
Only after undocking did they realize that an electrical short had left one of the attitude control thrusters stuck open. Neils remedy: activate the re-entry thruster system to counteract the stuck one while shuttinng down the attitude control thrusters one-by-one.
Unfortunately, according to mission rules any unplanned activation of the re-entry thrusters meant a mission abort. I think the mission ended up being cut down to 24 hours from 5 days as a result.
This was a beautiful one! I LOVE IT!
Congratz, keep the good work on this site. Very inspirational (not only the quotes, but your art too)
RIP Neil….. Truly a sad loss
Both this and the Goddard one brought tears to my eyes. This is some amazing work you do. Thank you.
Flies in space, test pilot, and in the air force. Neil was a real life Green Lantern!
Of course I honor Armstrong, and love your work… but I don’t get it….
Oh, I just got it. Duh, why did I not see it before?
It’s talking about the scale of the universe.
Lovely, indeed. However, I try not to think about universal scale. It is one of the few aspects of fully embracing science that I cannot view optimistically ( I do not consider all the possibilities of expansion and exploration a big enough counterbalance to our insignificance).
And why not?
It’s comforting to me to know that all the evil mankind has done to one another will not matter in the long run. True, neither will the good, but at least that makes the good a shout in the dark. ‘Tis far better to light a single candle than etc etc.
But then again, I admit I’m a werido.
When I was a 9 year old boy I wrote NASA and received a letter and an autographed photo of Neil Armstrong that I still have to this day. He was, and always will be a true hero to me! RIP
Neil’s achievement, along with Buzz and all the other men and women who supported, funded, worked long hours (for little reward and much sacrifice to family and spouses) to get a man’s feet under him, on the Moon… marked the boundary where we became a space-faring species… but this momentum has sadly slowed in recent years.
Along with Carl Sagan and many other mentors, I cherish the realization with Neil that we’re just a pale blue dot in an almost unimaginably vast, cold and hostile universe… and we should embrace more our differences, so we can explore space together, in warmth. (^- ^ )
BTW Gavin… this one makes the hair stand on the back of my neck, much as the ‘Litany Against Fear’ art did… bravo. d-(‘- ‘ )
Glad I’m not the only one who got goosebumps with this one
Thank you for this, Gavin.
And thank you, Neil. For everything.
I was wondering when this quote will appear here, as usual good work Gav.
wow, love the details and delivery!
Brian
I’m not sure of the source, but I can narrow it down some: As I understand it, he said this in an interview within a few years of the flight. Call it early ’70s, if not late ’69.
Thanks Bob – a reader pointed out that it could actually have been fellow astronaut Jim Lovell that actually said this. I saw this attributed to Armstrong in a newspaper which helped me decide to use it. It would be great if anyone could help clarify.
Also, glad to hear all the kind comments – thanks everyone. Hopefully I won’t have to amend the comic!
Gav –
Love your work. Any chance you’ll offer this one as a print?
Andrew Chaikin, author of Man on the Moon would probably know for sure. He is a highly respected space historian. I just asked him via facebook (which could take some time for a reply), so we’ll see what he has to say.
My gut said Lovell at first because I know for a fact that he said something similar, but the style of the quote itself feels like it could be Armstrong.
I’ll let you know if I hear back from Andrew.
Regards,
Brian
Thanks Brian!
Just awesome!!! This is the best, yeah love the details you put in the presentation. A big Thumbs Up to you as well.
How do you honor such a great man without over or understating – just like this. Perfect.
This is really, really lovely! Would you consider offering it as a print?
Norman Mailer reports in his book Of A Fire on the Moon that as a child Neil Armstrong had dreams in which he was hovering over a surface and could adjust his height above the surface over which he was hovering by inhaling or exhaling, breathe in, he rose, breathe out, he dropped in altitude. Hovering meets navigational control in dreamland and then he went and did it !
“We learned a lot about the Moon, but what we really learned was about the Earth. The fact that just from the distance of the Moon, you can put your thumb up, and you can hide the Earth behind your thumb. Everything that you have ever known, your loved ones, your business, the problems of the Earth itself, all behind your thumb. And how insignificant we really all are. But then how fortunate we are to have this body, and to be able to enjoy living here amongst the beauty of the Earth itself. ”
This quote is from the 2007 documentary “In the Shadow of the Moon”. It was said by Jim Lovell. I don’t doubt that Neil would have said something similar though. Many of the astronauts have expressed a similar feeling when viewing the earth from space.
Thanks Amanda, that is very similar and I bet Armstrong said the same sort of thing.
Awesome work, it’s just FLAWLESS. I do have one suggestion though, it would be very nice to see some of your work honoring ALL the people who participates in this kind of projects. From parents and teachers to scientists and astronauts. Cheers!
Not everyone on a project made any good quotes, not to mention that this one was a memorial.
‘TWAS AMAZING!
Good job!
Hi Gav,
Sad news, I was 7 and was allowed to stay up to watch the landing here in the UK.
I can’t find a definitive source for the quote, but I found a NASA speech where it is referenced as being Neil’s quote; http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20120000077_2011025554.pdf on the 2nd page.
Wikiquotes has it as unsourced; http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Earth
Thanks a lot Phil! This makes me feel a lot better about the source
Not only the wonderful words of Neil Armstrong. Your work drawing the feeling are extraordinary…
the most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent
Great piece!! Was wondering if it will be available for print?? Definitely want to order one!
Print should be available soon Jesse
Wow, really great art! And I love this citation
May I ask if I could translate it in french, please?
Sure
Just as long as you leave my URL and credit on. I’ve seen a few sneaky people cut off the ‘zenpencils.com’ logo which makes me really angry
Fantastic Tribute to a true class individual. Amazing job doing this!
A perfect tribute, and a reminder to all of us that the universe is an awe-inspiring place.
I love this pic so much. This so amazing
p/s: could i ask what font did you use in this pic??
Thanks Sieg, font is called ‘journal’
What a very nice tribute, and terrific artwork!
He was also an Eagle Scout, back when that meant something.
Print available!
http://society6.com/zenpencils/76-NEIL-ARMSTRONG_Print
Must be nice to see the earth from outside
I really like the way you formatted this comic. I’d read this quote a few times before and didn’t think much of it. The way you make him look in the last 2 panels really hit me about what this quote means.
Good job. I’ll keep reading, as always.
I always learn something when I visit your site, not just for the beautiful drawings and quotes, but for the explanations =)
Thank you!
Regards.
Thank you _very_ much!
Thanks for this gift!
Regards from France.Really one of the great heroes from all times.And
plenty of humble!
This is a impresionant man i love it
wow… i so LOVE this one! also, for this style of drawing, that is so different from the style you usually adopt for Zen Pencils. The Clive Barker one also struck me with the ferocity of the drawings in the first half.
Thank u for inspiring me!
I think this is one of the greatest. Keep up the good job man, i read`em – almost – all. Greetings from Brasil.
Neil Armstrong was my inspiration as a child and through this day. He will be truly missed.
My favorite Armstrong quote is
“???????????“
Roughly translated as
“One small step forward, One great leap for mankind”
Oh wait, that’s from the bathroom wall here in China.
Where there is still pee all over the floor…
Oh well, we can’t all be as great as the original moon walker.
Amazing! That’s a kind of same perception you have when you see the world from the top of a building..
Good day! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from
an established blog. Is it very difficult to set up your own blog?
I’m not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I’m thinking about creating my own
but I’m not sure where to begin. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Appreciate it
I recommend the problogger website