Neil Armstrong's Daughter Died of a Rare But Deadly Brain Cancer

As the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong's name is forever solidified in history. There have been plenty of movies and pieces of media inspired by his trip to the moon, as well as plenty of biopic adaptations of his life.

But while Neil's work as an astronaut is remembered, few know that he had three children, though his daughter died at an early age. What happened to his daughter?

What happened to Neil Armstrong's daughter?

Neil was a father to three children: two boys and a girl. Karen, the daughter, unfortunately did not live very long, as she passed away at only two and a half.

The daughter of the astronaut passed away on Jan. 28, 1962, suffering from DIPG, or Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. At the time, the exact condition wasn't familiar to doctors, who weren't able to help her — though it's still an incredibly fatal form of brain cancer that primarily affects children until 11.

Unfortunately, the survival rate for DIPG is incredibly low. According to the Brain Tumor Research organization , most children who are diagnosed with DIPG will pass away within nine to 12 months of diagnosis, leaving little hope for parents whose children have this serious brain tumor. Usually, the tumor's location makes it nearly impossible to remove by surgical means, leaving only radiation and chemotherapy as possible routes of treatment.

As it is a brain tumor, those with DIPG will slowly lose a lot of their regular functions; warning signs are issues with their eyesight, headaches, and issues with walking or muscle coordination. In the 60s, when Karen was diagnosed with this, one of the treatments was reportedly cobalt therapy, though it did little to help her.

Neil Armstrong didn't actually leave a bracelet for his daughter on the moon

Though the biopic First Man showcased a tender moment for the astronaut, where he left a bracelet with his daughter's name behind on the moon in her memory, this apparently did not really happen. In a biography about Neil written by James Hansen, the momentos Neil took with him to the moon did not include relics for his children — something his then-wife, Janet Armstrong, took issue with.

“Armstrong took nothing else for family members — not even for his two boys,” James recounted in the biography, per the Washington Post , noting that it was something his wife was not happy with. “Another loved one that Neil apparently did not remember by taking anything of hers to the moon was his daughter Karen.”

Though he did bring other items, like a pin from his fraternity, jewelry for his wife, and a piece of the Wright brothers' airplane, reminders of his children were not included in his space flight.

“The scene was created for the movie, and there is no specific evidence that Neil Armstrong left any ‘memorial items’ on the moon,” Bill Barry, NASA’s chief historian, confirmed to the outlet.