From Harold Kassel
Further to your article on Neil Armstrong’s death (1 September, p 4), I think of him as a pilot. I don’t know if it took an exceptionally skilled pilot to land on the moon or just a capable one. Perhaps it is not politically correct to ask.
Media exposure leads many to idolise sports teams and athletes, actors, singers and perhaps astronauts. The scientists who made the mission possible are rarely mentioned.
I view their contribution as much more significant than Armstrong’s. I don’t really care if he was the first person on the moon; there is no magic in “first”. I can admire people, but I don’t hero worship.
Skokie, Illinois, US
