Sea Burial for First Man on Moon

The first man to land on moon, Neil Armstrong, will be buried at sea as per his wish, his family spokesman Rick Miller said Thursday.

Armstrong, who successfully landed on the moon on July 20, 1969 as the commander of the Apollo 11 mission, passed away on Aug. 25 following complications from a cardiovascular surgery. He was 82.

While the details of the burial including location name, date, timing have not been disclosed, the Navy has confirmed that they would perform the ceremony as Armstrong was a Navy man, reported USA Today. 

The NASA astronaut, hailed as an American hero, began his journey to the moon aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft on July 16, 1969, from the Kennedy Space Center, alongside fellow astronauts Edwin E. Aldrin and Michael Collins to gather samples of the lunar surface and return to Earth.

After landing on the moon, the astronaut made his famous statement saying, "That is one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind," at a place named as Sea of Tranquility, which has gone down in the history books.

Armstrong, who was born on August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio, worked as a United States Navy officer. He served in the Korean War and also became a test pilot before joining the U.S. space program in 1962. 

Initially, Armstrong was first involved in the Gemini program and was later selected to be part of the Apollo 11's moon mission. Following his death last month, tributes poured in from around the world praising the American hero. "Neil Armstrong was a hero not just of his time, but of all time," President Barack Obama posted a message on twitter.

Armstrong is survived by his wife Carol Held Knight, two sons, a stepson, a stepdaughter and ten grandchildren.

NASA reported that a public memorial service will be held at the Washington National Cathedral on Sept. 13 (Thursday), to honor Armstrong. The service, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. EDT, will be attended by several dignitaries.

NASA TV will broadcast the memorial service live. It will also be streamed online by the agency's and National Cathedral's websites.