Neil Armstrong Recovering From Unexpected Heart Surgery

Renowned former astronaut Neil Armstrong is most famous for taking mankind’s first steps on the moon, but he’s in the news today for something else entirely – recovery from bypass heart surgery.

After four blockages were found in his coronary arteries, Neil Armstrong went under the knife for bypass surgery and is reportedly recovering in a hospital as of Wednesday. He is said to be in good spirits, reports NBC affiliate WKYC, and his wife Carol has said “He’s doing great.” Armstrong just celebrated his 82nd birthday Sunday, checking in to the hospital Monday for a stress test. The surgery came as a surprise to the Armstrong family, when his stress test results came back negative, according to the Christian Post.

Carol Armstrong told Astronaut and moon-walker Gene Cernan that Neil is recovering as expected, and that the doctors do not expect any snags in his recovery.

Armstrong began his career as a project pilot on experimental aircraft, including the famous X-15. He has flown over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters, and gliders. He became an astronaut in 1962, and was assigned as the command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Gemini launched in 1966, with Armstrong performing the first successful docking of two vehicles in space.

Despite these feats, his mission as spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission, gave him distinction and fame as the first man to set foot on the moon. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” he said as he stepped off the lunar landing module.

IQ wishes Neil Armstrong a speedy recovery from his unexpected heart surgery!