THE LIMELIGHT AFTER ‘GIANT LEAP’ of the moon landings
Secret agony of Apollo hero who hated fame Buzz’s attitude to being famous was light years away from Neil’s
them.” Until Hansen’s book – in which the author had rare access to the astronaut – the public had very little insight into Armstrong’s life.
The man who joined NASA’s Astronaut Corps at 32 and became the first civilian astronaut to fly in space gave very few interviews.
He avoided moon events, even failing to turn up to a parade marking the 25th anniversary in his home town Wapakoneta, Ohio. He stopped signing autographs as he didn’t want people to exploit his name. He sued Hallmark cards in 1994 for using his “one small step” quote without permission. And throughout his life, Armstrong – who died in 2012 at 82 – barely spoke about the mission with friends and family.
But Hansen insists: “He still did lots of talks and university lectures. All of his talks were scripted. I think he was concerned about being misrepresented. He had been a naval fighter pilot in the Korean War and a test pilot for years but felt the only thing people wanted to talk to him about was the moon landing which only took a year out of his life.”
Hansen says Karen had told him she felt Armstrong’s refusal to open up only made things worse as it “built up the mystique surrounding the first man on the moon”.
“People expected Neil to be sort of demi-God or hero, but he was different from other astronauts,” says Hansen. “He wasn’t at all the gung-ho, macho fighter pilot type, those often depicted as the guys with the ‘right stuff ’.”
Hansen believes Ohio- born Armstrong’s introverted character is
President Nixon welcomes back Neil, Michael and Buzz WHILE Neil Armstrong turned his behind Buzz Lightyear in the muchback on celebrity status, fellow loved Toy Story movies. astronaut Buzz Aldrin embraced it. But high-flying Buzz crash landed
The mission commander set foot when he began to struggle with the on the moon 19 minutes after demands of fame and battled Armstrong, but lunar module pilot alcoholism and depression.
Aldrin became just as famous He has been sober since 1978. because of his willingness to talk His marriage of 21 years broke up about Apollo 11. Buzz, now 89, never shortly after the 1969 Apollo shied away from mission and he has anniversaries and since been through public events. two divorces. Buzz,
He used every worth an estimated chance to promote £9million, was last space exploration year involved in a and made millions legal wrangle with of pounds from it two of his adult along the way. children over his
He flew around With George Clooney fortune. the world giving speeches, wrote He dropped a lawsuit against books and made cameos on TV them in March this year after shows and films, including the Big accusing the pair, along with a
Bang Theory and Transformers 3. business manager, of slander for
And he made some superstar suggesting that he had dementia friends such as George Clooney in and Alzheimer’s disease. the process. In return they withdrew a petition
He was also the inspiration seeking guardianship of his affairs. rooted in a childhood of moving from town to town almost yearly in America’s midwest where his father audited farm properties. “Friendships didn’t last long which I think had some effect on him,” says Hansen.
“His father was an emotionally distant man but he had such a deep love for his mother.
“She was an evangelical Christian, but Neil never believed in God, although she died thinking he did.
“I don’t think he wanted to argue g with her so he developed d an avoidance strategy in n childhood which he seemed to use in adulthood. There was a cold edge to him if he was suspicious of your motives. He had a deep inner recess in which he kept his belief system.”
Many experts have wondered whether he was on the highperforming end of the autistic spectrum. Hansen says it is “certainly a proposal talked about by those closest to him. In many ways he was an oldfashioned character.
“When he and Karen split they shared around $3million. He could have been far richer but you couldn’t buy Neil Armstrong.
“He wasn’t for sale.”