Neil Armstrong, the legendary US astronaut, the first man to set foot on the moon, has died at the age of 82. He took “one giant leap for mankind” after the Apollo 11 spacecraft which he commanded landed on the moon on 20th July 1969.

Accompanied by fellow astronaut Edwin Aldrin, Armstrong spent nearly three hours walking on the moon. It had taken Apollo 11 craft four days to complete the nearly 400,000 kms journey, as the whole world waited with bated breath.

The Apollo 11 moon mission turned out to be Armstrong's last space flight. He grew up in Ohio with a strong interest in flight and earned his pilot's license while he was still a boy. After flying combat missions during the Korean War, he became a test pilot and joined NASA's astronaut program in 1962.

His family said in a statement that while they mourn the loss of a very good man, they also celebrate his remarkable life and hoped that it would serve as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves.

Paying tribute to the legendary astronaut, US President Barack Obama said, Neil was among the greatest of American heroes, not just of his time, but of all times.