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The first arrival of earthly life on another celestial body ranks as an epochal event not only for our generation, but in the history of our planet. Neil Armstrong was at the cusp of the Apollo programme. This was a collective technological effort of epic scale, but his is the one name sure to be remembered centuries hence.

I remember; I was 15 years old when Neil Armstrong put feet in the moon.

I've always hankered after going into space and walking on the moon and Mars. I did want to be an astronaut, and had there been a manned space flight programme in the U.K., I would have been knocking on the door.

My dad, he believed in me. My first year was hard for me. I came to the States with myself, and no one came with me.

As plans for the first lunar landing started to be made, nobody had really thought about who would be out first.

I was a naval officer and aviator. I tested airplanes and got selected to be an astronaut later on.

I was only 8 years old on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong, 38-year-old commander of 'Apollo 11,' descended the cramped lunar module Eagle's ladder with hefty backpack and bulky spacesuit to become the first human on the moon.

For a time, at least, I was the most famous person in the entire world.

I always respected Neil Armstrong highly. He was probably the coolest under pressure of anyone I ever had the privilege of flying with. I never saw him flustered.