Neil Armstrong remembered at public memorial

A memorial for the first man on the Moon, astronaut Neil Armstrong, has been held in Washington, DC.

The public memorial was held at the National Cathedral, with fellow Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins among the hundreds attending.

Armstrong died in August, aged 82, from complications after heart surgery.

Nasa administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut, said Armstrong's humility and courage "lifted him above the stars"

A private funeral for family and friends was held earlier in Ohio, Armstrong's home state.

"He's now slipped the bounds of Earth once again, but what a legacy he left," former Treasury Secretary John Snow told those gathered.

Eugene Cernan, the last of the 12 men to walk on the Moon, also paid tribute to the astronaut.

A piece of lunar rock is embedded in a decorative window of the cathedral

He was followed by a slow and solemn version of the song Fly Me to the Moon by Diana Krall.

Mr Bolden also read a letter from President Barack Obama.

"The imprint he left on the surface of the Moon is matched only by the extraordinary mark he left on ordinary Americans," the president wrote.

Hundreds of millions watched Armstrong land on the Moon on 20 July 1969 and describe it as: "One small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

The line became one of the most famous quotes of the 20th Century.

A stained-glass window in Washington's National Cathedral holds a piece of lunar rock that the crew of the Apollo 11 brought back.

Last November, Armstrong received the Congressional Gold Medal - the highest US civilian award.