Neil Armstrong memorial service celebrates life of 1st moonwalker

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Friends, colleagues gather to remember Neil Armstrong

Memorial service held in Washington for first man to walk on the moon

The last man to leave his bootprints on the moon paid tribute to the first man who laid foot there at a national memorial service for the late astronaut Neil Armstrong.

Eugene Cernan, who followed in Armstrong's 'small steps' as the 12th and last American astronaut to stand on the lunar surface, joined NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and the former Secretary of the Treasury John W. Snow at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday (Sept. 13) to deliver remarks celebrating Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 mission.

Armstrong, 82, died Aug. 25 following complications that resulted from cardiovascular procedures. In July 1969, he spoke the instantly historic words, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind" as he became the first human to walk on the moon.

Thursday's public memorial in Washington, D.C., precedes Armstrong's burial at sea, to be conducted by the Navy on Friday. Details of his ocean interment were not released, though President Barack Obama ordered flags be flown at half-mast to mark the day of the ceremony.

Mourning the first moonwalker

The memorial service at the cathedral, for which a limited number of seats were reserved for the public to attend, brought together dignitaries, community and political leaders, Armstrong's family members, and members of the NASA family, including current and former astronauts, to mourn the loss of the first moonwalker. [Photos: Astronaut Icon Neil Armstrong Remembered]

Armstrong's Apollo 11 crewmate, Michael Collins, led the assembly in prayers.

In July 1974, Collins, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin donated one of the moon rocks they brought back to Earth to the National Cathedral. A sliver of that same lunar rock is now on display there, embedded in a stained glass window that pays tribute to their historic moon landing.

In between the tributes and readings, including a biblical passage read by former Secretary of the Navy John Dalton, musicians dedicated performances to the late Armstrong. Canadian jazz pianist Diana Krall sang "Fly Me to the Moon" as arranged by Frank Sinatra.

The Metropolitan Opera Brass, the U.S. Navy Band "Sea Chanters," and the Cathedral Choristers also performed pieces, including "America the Beautiful."

The ceremony closed with Bolden's presentation of an American flag to Carol Armstrong, the astronaut's widow. The U.S. flag was flown over the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on the day of Armstrong's passing.

Public tribute

For those unable to be there, NASA aired the memorial service live on its television channel and streamed it online through its website.

Armstrong's family earlier gathered for a private service on Aug. 31 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The family also established the "Neil Armstrong New Frontiers Initiative," a memorial fund for the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

They have asked that memorials be made to the Initiative, or to two scholarship funds setup in Armstrong's name by the Telluride Foundation and by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

The family also suggested for those wishing to pay tribute, that they "honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."

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