Giant leap: Neil Armstrong, commander of Apollo 11, was proud of his Scottish roots. Pic: © NASA
A memorial service for Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, will pay tribute to his Scottish roots with music from a lone piper.
Angus Sutherland, dressed in Clan Armstrong tartan, will pipe in the Armstrong family by playing Mist Covered Mountains.
Former Nasa astronaut Armstrong died at the age of 82 on August 25 after suffering complications from heart surgery he underwent earlier in the month.
He made history when he landed on the Moon on July 20 1969, stepping out of the spacecraft to utter the famous words: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
A public memorial service will be held at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington DC on Thursday.
Mr Sutherland, 22, was asked to play at the event on behalf of the Scottish people by the Scottish Government.
He said: "I'm looking forward to playing and it is a huge honour for me."
Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, on a farm in Ohio but was proud of his Scottish roots, and in 1972 he accepted the freedom of the town of Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway.
Mr Sutherland is originally from Kelso in the neighbouring county of the Borders but now lives in Washington DC.
Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the Moon.
Along with fellow astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, he spent nearly three hours walking about collecting samples, conducting experiments and taking photographs while third crewmember Michael Collins orbited above.
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Neil Armstrong was a modest man who achieved magnificent things.
"He was extremely proud of his Scottish roots and never more so than the day in 1972 when, in the 'Muckle Toon' of Langholm in Dumfriesshire, he accepted the freedom of the town.
"Local people were surprised but delighted when he accepted their invitation and when Mr Armstrong declared that Langholm would from then on be considered his home town. Forty years later, the collective memory of that day has not dimmed.
"The people of Scotland will be represented at this fitting memorial in Washington by a Scottish Government representative based in the US and, of course, by the talented piping of Mr Sutherland."
