Neil Armstrong and NASA: One Giant Leap

First man on the moon Neil Armstrong routinely credited the thousands of scientists, technicians, and others who made his historic flight possible.

Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who became the first man to set foot on the moon, personified NASA's Apollo space mission. When Armstrong died Aug. 25, 2012, at age 82, the United States remembered his massive contributions to the space program, especially that first step on the moon. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" is one of the most famous quotes in American history, one that still quickens pulses and makes us turn our eyes to the sky in wonder.

Over the decades, Armstrong has been the face of the Apollo 11 mission and of space exploration in general. Yet Armstrong routinely credited the thousands of scientists, technicians, and others who made his Apollo 11 flight to the moon possible. Here are a few of those people.

"took up her first post with the then nascent National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in the 1950s, where she remained until 1971," according to the obituary in Leesburg (Florida) Today.

"A fuels and power cell specialist, and one of only two women scientists employed by the new Administration, Dr. Spahr published numerous significant scientific papers which are a matter of record, and was a key individual in the U.S.'s eventual achievement of a lunar landing during the Apollo Project," the obit said.

"In addition, Dr. Spahr contributed significantly to several other important NASA projects." Dr. Spahr, who died Aug. 16, 2012, at age 81, "received the Apollo Achievement Award for her contribution to Apollo 11's successful landing on the Moon, July 11, 1969, as well as the NASA Federal Service Award."

Anthony J. Vaccari, a silversmith and metal spinner who died Aug. 24, 2012, at age 91, "created specialty parts from precision design specifications for such unique projects as the Nautilus, America's first nuclear submarine, the Tokamak fusion reactor in Princeton, and NASA's Apollo Moon Program," according to the obit in the Asbury Park (New Jersey) Press.

Willard (Will) Kline was a draftsman for the aerospace industry and worked on designs for the NASA Apollo Lunar Program, according to the obit published in The Desert Sun of Palm Springs, California, on Aug. 21, 2012.

This post was contributed byAlana Baranick, a freelance obituary writer. She was the director of theSociety of Professional Obituary Writers and chief author ofLife on the Death Beat: A Handbook for Obituary Writers before she passed away in 2015.