![Neil Armstrong during expedition to the Moon. ©REUTERS](/userdata/news_en/2012/news_12505/thumb_b/photo_19856.jpg)
Kazakhstan astronaut Toktar Aubakirov expressed condolences in relation to the death of American astronaut Neil Armstrong and told Tengrinews.kz about his impression of him as a colleague. According to Aubakirov, he met Armstrong twice and they talked a lot about aviation, as there were both test pilots. “I would like to say that this person did a lot for aviation. He is a person who flew experimental rocket-planes,” he said. Armstrong was one of the test pilots of the experimental boost-glide aircraft North American X-15 that performed near-orbital manned space flights. However, after failing to reach the height of 50 miles and being disappointed in boost-glide aircrafts he left the project to become a NASA astronaut. “They were landing on the bottom of the dry salty lake. We talked a lot about this (testing boost-glide aircrafts). Unfortunately, we could not have a long conversation, as we always needed a translator. I did not always understand what he said and he did not understand me. This is the person who, as he said, made a small step on the Moon that became a huge step for the whole humanity in exploration of the space,” Aubakirov said. “Such people make history of the Earth. Neil Armstrong did not give up cosmonautics, he did not give up aviation. He taught whatever he knew in a university. He became an outstanding scientist and lived his life brightly,” first Kazakhstan astronaut Toktar Aubakirov said. Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, died at the age of 83 because of a complication after a heart surgery. He was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. On June 16, 1969 Armstrong led a crew of Apollo-11 in their mission to land on the Moon. On July 20, 1969, the astronaut became the first man to step on the Moon. Armstrong spent 2 hours and 21 minutes outside of the space craft. By Daniyar Bozov
Kazakhstan astronaut Toktar Aubakirov expressed condolences in relation to the death of American astronaut Neil Armstrong and told Tengrinews.kz about his impression of him as a colleague.
According to Aubakirov, he met Armstrong twice and they talked a lot about aviation, as there were both test pilots. “I would like to say that this person did a lot for aviation. He is a person who flew experimental rocket-planes,” he said.
Armstrong was one of the test pilots of the experimental boost-glide aircraft North American X-15 that performed near-orbital manned space flights. However, after failing to reach the height of 50 miles and being disappointed in boost-glide aircrafts he left the project to become a NASA astronaut.
“They were landing on the bottom of the dry salty lake. We talked a lot about this (testing boost-glide aircrafts). Unfortunately, we could not have a long conversation, as we always needed a translator. I did not always understand what he said and he did not understand me. This is the person who, as he said, made a small step on the Moon that became a huge step for the whole humanity in exploration of the space,” Aubakirov said.
“Such people make history of the Earth. Neil Armstrong did not give up cosmonautics, he did not give up aviation. He taught whatever he knew in a university. He became an outstanding scientist and lived his life brightly,” first Kazakhstan astronaut Toktar Aubakirov said.
Astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, died at the age of 83 because of a complication after a heart surgery. He was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. On June 16, 1969 Armstrong led a crew of Apollo-11 in their mission to land on the Moon. On July 20, 1969, the astronaut became the first man to step on the Moon. Armstrong spent 2 hours and 21 minutes outside of the space craft.
By Daniyar Bozov