RIP Niel Armstrong

The moon is 384,400 kilometers away from Earth. It is the farthest mankind has ever been. And yet to our minds it seemed so near. Thanks to Neil Armstrong who took us there with his first step.

The most famous astronaut died yesterday due to heart complications. And while I can choose to write about his life or about what he has contributed to history in memory of him, I would not. Since that is what you will all get in the news most probably. So I will tell about an urban legend about one of Armstrong's quotable qoutes. It has been going around in e-mails for years.

"That's one small step for man, one giant leep for mankind." Everybody heard that. It is certainly the most famous line from NASA but not that one. Everyone in NASA knew has was going to say that. But what puzzled some is the other quote he said.

According to legend he was going back inside the lander when he said "Good luck Mr. Gorsky".  Many who heard it thought it was a smirk for the Russian cosmonauts. But over time, people who were more puzzled than the others searched more on who Mr. Gorsky was. It turns out that it was not for the Russians because there was no cosmonaut named Mr. Gorsky. People kept asking Armstrong about what was that all about but he only replied with a grin. Until in July 1995 when he was asked again after a speech he made. His answer was not expected by anyone in that room.

He said that Mr. Gorsky has died so felt he can now answer that question. Mr. Gorsky was his neighbor when he was a kid in a small mid town. And one day in 1938, while playing baseball with friends in a backyard, the ball was hit hard enough to land in Mr. & Mrs. Gorsky's yard near the bedroom window. As he leaned down to pick up the ball. The young Niel Armstrong back then heard Mrs. Gorsky shouting to Mr. Gorsky - "Sex?! All you want is oral sex! You will get one when that kid next door walks on the moon."

He remembered that while in the moon and thus he said "Goodluck Mr. Gorsky".

Most likely not true but whether or not, I find it amusing to pass along in memory of Mr Armstrong(and also to Mr. Gorsky). May they rest in peace.