Rest in peace, Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, has passed away at the age of 82, according to a statement released by his family.

Before the Apollo 11 mission, Richard Nixon's speechwriter William Safire prepared a statement that the president would read in the case of tragedy. Reading those words now, it feels as though their weight and meaning travels through time, turning our loss today into poetry, while at the same time reminding us of the unbelievable risk these men undertook to bring us closer to the stars.

Click here to read the whole story at The Atlantic.

Hear Armstrong's famous "One small step" words here: