Obama orders flags to half mast for Armstrong

US: US 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.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper reported that Armstrong's funeral would be a private affair and would take place on Friday in Cincinnati, Ohio, and that the state's Republican senator Rob Portman will deliver the eulogy.

Earlier, a Republican congressman from Ohio, Armstrong's home state, called on Obama to hold a state funeral for the revered astronaut.

"The letter is simply going to say that we urge the president to declare a state funeral for Neil Armstrong, who is not only a national hero but a world hero," Republican Representative Bill Johnson told AFP. AFP