ABANDONMENT

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon's surface.
For the world, it was a triumph – but for his wife Janet Armstrong, a very ambivalent moment: she was proud of Neil, but at the same time filled with fear, knowing he might never return. She later reported that she tried to "appear brave," but in reality, she felt alone, exposed, and afraid.
While the world celebrated Neil Armstrong as a hero, Janet felt the gap between his historical role and her private abandonment. It is precisely this tension—love, loss, publicity versus intimacy—that makes her story so tragic yet so human.

I watched the flames light up the skies,
while silence burned behind my eyes,
the world was cheering, what a thrill,
while my broken heart - stood still.

Though you are brave, though you are strong,
you have repressed where you belong.
I lost your hand to history,
the moon took you away from me....

You flew away and left me here,
with all my sorrow and my fear,
You chose adventure - instead of me,
and now you´re standing in the Sea of Tranquility

You flew away and left me here.
and thus abandoned me, my dear.
like the second stage, I was jettisoned, too,
a giant leap for mankind, a small step for you,
when you stepped over me,
and now I´m drowning in a Sea of Tranquility ..

You chose the moon - instead of me,
and now I´m drowning in a Sea ... of Tranquility

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, outwardly led a quiet and controlled life – entirely in keeping with his role as an astronaut and national hero. But privately, his life was marked by tragedy. He had been married to his wife, Janet Shearon, since 1956; they had three children. In 1962, their young daughter, Karen ("Muffie"), died of a brain tumor at the age of just two and a half – a loss that deeply affected Neil, yet he rarely spoke about. His reticence and focus on work put a strain on the marriage.
After the moon landing in 1969, which was a triumph for the world, Janet experienced the dark side: the constant public attention, her husband's absence, and the distance that Neil maintained even within the family. They finally separated after almost 40 years of marriage – the divorce was finalized in 1994.
Janet died in 2018, Neil in 2012. Their story is one of love, loss, and the gap between world-historical greatness and personal pain.