Franklin Chang, the Costa Rican astronaut, mourned the death of Neil Armstrong with a statement on his Facebook page. Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, died Saturday at age 82.
Chang, who was inducted in the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame earlier this year, called Armstrong “one of my greatest heroes.” Chang currently works for his technology company Ad Astra Rocket. He and Armstrong had discussed the Tico astronaut’s ambitions to build a plasma engine with his company. Armstrong “immediately understood and appreciated” the technical details of the plasma rocket, Chang said.
In the note, Chang stated:
“[Armstrong’s] legacy is extraordinary and in his latter years as an educator undoubtedly touched many young minds. His words upon landing on the Moon representing the entire human race ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’ will resonate in history forever. Godspeed Neil. We’ll miss you.”
