This Article is From Aug 09, 2012

Neil Armstrong, 1st to walk on moon, has heart surgery

Neil Armstrong, 1st to walk on moon, has heart surgery
Columbus, Ohio: Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, is recovering from heart surgery days after his 82nd birthday.

Armstrong's wife, Carol, told a NASA spokesman the former astronaut was recovering on Wednesday. It wasn't clear where the surgery occurred or where Armstrong was recuperating.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden wished Armstrong a quick recovery from cardiac bypass surgery in a Facebook statement.

Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. He spent nearly three hours on a moonwalk with fellow astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.

A message Wednesday on Aldrin's Twitter account also wished Armstrong well.

Armstrong has largely stayed out of public view in recent years but appeared at Ohio State University in February for an event honouring fellow astronaut John Glenn.

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