Obama Orders Flags to Half-Mast for Armstrong

President Barack Obama Monday ordered that all official US flags be lowered to half mast to mark the funeral of Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who planted the Stars and Stripes on the Moon.

Obama issued a proclamation to honor Armstrong, who died on Saturday aged 82, and was the first man to walk on the Moon, delivering the immortal line "that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

The president's order applies to US flags on the top of the White House, all public buildings, military posts, naval stations and US naval ships at sea anywhere in the world, as well as at American embassies and consulates.