It appears that Neil Armstrong's moon speech in which he uttered the famous line, "That's one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind," was not improvised as Neil Armstrong always claimed it to be, according to the younger brother of the famous astronaut.  Neil Armstrong's brother, Dean, stated that Neil (who passed away in August of 2012) actually made the transcript of the line two weeks before Apollo 11 blasted off for the initial moon landing.  Dean Armstrong, the younger brother of Neil, stated this in the documentary, "Neil Armstrong - First Man on the Moon,"  The documentary took place on BBC Two this past Sunday.  Dean Armstrong went on to say that he and his brother Neil were playing the board game, Risk, right before Neil was to leave for Cape Canaveral one night.  During this time, Neil slipped his brother a piece of paper with the famous moon landing line.  Dean told him that the line was "Fabulous."   This all runs counter to what Neil Armstrong always reiterated, that the line was made up spontaneously.   Neil Armstrong always said this was the case publicly, throughout his life, that the line was an impromptu speech.

I have many questions concerning Dean Armstrong's claim about his famous older brother.  As asked in the article (linked above), why wait to make this known publicly after the death of Neil Armstrong?   Was it part of a sibling rivalry or jealousy that Dean had of his famous brother?  I really believe that to be the case.  I think the bigger question, what difference does it make?  It does not lessen the achievement of Neil Armstrong or have any bearing on his integrity.  So, what's the point of making this claim now that his brother is not around to defend himself?  I do believe it is a bit of sibling rivalry on the part of Dean Armstrong.  Furthermore, Dean Armstrong was interviewed for Neil Armstrong's autobiography in 2002.  Dean made no mention of this claim at that time.  So, why wait until now in the documentary?  It makes the younger brother of Neil Armstrong appear petty and small-minded.  Neil Armstrong was known to be humble, quiet and a bit shy.  It does not mix with his character to be considered a liar about such a trivial thing as to when Neil Armstrong settled on the words to the moon landing speech.  Regardless, Neil Armstrong will always be thought of fondly by Americans and people around the world.  Dean Armstrong may not now be thought of fondly by his own family.