Time flies, memory fades. it is a full 10 years since man first walked on the moon, yet it does not seem like yesterday, So much has happened down here on Earth in this eventful decade, space exploration itself has gone beyond the moon in other and unmanned directions, that this supreme achievement of human voyaging into the unknown has receded into history. Not ancient, certainly, but not so recent as viewed in the light of significance to our lives today. How many among us today know the number of manned lunar landings? l V ‘ How many men actually walked on the moon and what were their names? They numbered 12, and if 11 of their names cannot be recalled, one can: Neil Armstrong. He was the first. And not the least noteworthy aspect of the ceremonial events to be staged by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration this July 20, the anniversary of the first manned lunar landing, will be Armstrcng’s public appearance in Washington, his first in some time. The lunar experience – and ensuing if not enduring notoriety had a profound effect on all who shared it. For some it led to power andwealth in other fields – business and politics. For others, the readjustment to an earthbound existence was difficult, leading in a few cases to psychological breakdown and shattered lives. One moonwalker found in it a lasting religious experience, But of all the reactions to the experience and subsequent histories of the lunar astronauts, Neil Armstrong’s may be the most unusual. His is a name that will share a place in the chronicles of mankind with only a few others Christopher Columbus and Charles Lindbergh being the first to come to mind and perhaps the only others to be considered, There is an important difference. Both the latter were essentially loners, although Columbus had the essential financial patronage of the Spanish sovereigns. But their visions were their oum, realized through their own courage and determination. Armstrong, on the other hand, was the point man of a $25-billion national effort, backed by a team of thousands and the technical resources of the world’s greatest industrial power. That may be the significant fact in his own reading of the nature of his achievement and an explanation for his subsequent actions, After a brief period in the public spotlight that included a showbiz tum in one of comedian Bob Hope’s ritual tours of American fighting fronts – this one Vietnam – Armstrong tumed his back on fame. l-Ie withdrew from public life to the University of Cincinnati, determinedrraccording to spokesmen for that institution, to be not a celebrity but a university professor. Armstrong has largely avoided public attention since, refusing to participate in fifth-anniversary observances of the moon landing. His participation in the July 20 ceremonies, therefore, may be presumed to lend additional luster and interest. ‘ It probably will not, however, provide the answer as to why having participated in the making of history, he has chosen to withdraw from his own times. He did not have to be the first man to set foot on the moon, but, as commander of the Apollo mission, chose to be over his fellow astronaut, Edwin Aldrin. A smaller man might have capitalized on the consequent fame. Whether he is a bigger man for having taken an exactly opposite course is difficult to say. However reluctant he may be to exploit his role in history, Neil Armstrong cannot, however, withdraw from it. History will have none of that. After all, it was he who said it first. It may have been a small step for the man who actually took it, but it will forever be recalled as “one giant leap for mankind.” So They Suy “He understands its role, its vocabulary, and he is not intimidated by scientists and engineers.” – Frank Press, White House science adviser, claiming President Carter, who studied nuclear engineering as a U.S. Navy submarine officer, is well-qualified to deal with modern technology.