Neil Armstrong to be buried at sea

NEW YORK, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- The remains of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, will be buried as sea in accordance with his wishes, an Armstrong family spokesman said.

However, the details and the timing "are still being worked out," spokesman Rick Miller said.

The arrangement recalls plans that would have been put into effect in 1969 if Armstrong and his crewmate, Buzz Aldrin, had been stranded on the moon and unable to return to Earth, NBC News reported.

In that event President Nixon was prepared to make a somber announcement that the "men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace."

A ceremony at sea would have been conducted with a member of the clergy commending the men's souls to "the deepest of the deep" and concluding with the Lord's Prayer, NBC said.

But Armstrong and Aldrin returned to Earth safely, and Armstrong and his "one small step" entered history.