Nation Says Goodbye to Moonwalker Neil Armstrong The nation is bidding farewell to Neil Armstrong, the first man to take a giant leap on to the moon. The powerful of Washington, the pioneers of space, and the everyday public crowded into the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday for a public interfaith memorial for the very private astronaut. Armstrong, who died last month at age 82, walked on the moon in July 1969. Apollo 11 crewmates Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins and Mercury astronaut John Glenn were at the church, which includes a moon rock embedded in its stained glass windows. Singer Diana Krall was scheduled to sing "Fly Me To The Moon." The service also included excerpts from a speech 50 years ago by John F. Kennedy about why America was sending astronauts to the moon.