Neil Armstrong tribute to air Sept. 1 on Discovery Channel and SCIENCE

FILE - In undated photo provided by NASA shows Neil Armstrong. The family of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, says he has died at age 82. A statement from the family says he died following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. It doesn't say where he died. Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon July 20, 1969. He radioed back to Earth the historic news of "one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong and fellow astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin spent nearly three hours walking on the moon, collecting samples, conducting experiments and taking photographs. In all, 12 Americans walked on the moon from 1969 to 1972. (AP Photo/NASA) ORG XMIT: NY205

“One Giant Leap: A Neil Armstrong Tribute” will make its U.S. premiere at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1 on Discovery Channel, followed by a special encore presentation on SCIENCE at 9 p.m. that night.

Armstrong died Saturday, Aug. 25, at the age of 82.

The program features footage from Armstrong’s last public appearance as well as interviews with crewmates Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, and includes special access to the Apollo 11 archives, taking viewers through the complete journey from initial training to moon walk to splashdown on Earth.

More information on related programming on the channels, provided by Discovery Channel, is as follows:

Throughout the week, Discovery Channel and SCIENCE also will present special programming blocks to commemorate Armstrong and the history of space exploration with the following presentations, produced in partnership with NASA featuring exclusive interviews with key astronauts and engineers.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31

THE PLANETS (8X60 Series) on SCIENCE

Encore Presentation: 8 AM – 4PM CT

Where did the planets come from and how were they formed? Clues to the birth and evolution of the planets lie scattered throughout the solar system. Distance, time, and technology handicap the search for answers, but scientists are making progress.

MOON MACHINES (6×60 Series) on SCIENCE

Encore Presentation: 4PM – 10PM CT

Forty years on from mankind’s first steps on the lunar surface, reaching the Moon is still a metaphor for an impossible journey. In just eight years 400,000 people across America came together to accomplish the seemingly impossible task of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth. But whilst the astronauts who walked on the Moon became household names, the men and women who created the machines that made their journeys possible have been largely forgotten. Yet, from the impossibly gigantic Saturn V rocket to the fragile tissue paper lunar lander, the stories of these miracles of engineering are every bit as extraordinary as those of the men who flew them.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

WHEN WE LEFT EARTH

Special One-Hour Presentation: 6PM CT on Discovery Channel

Narrated by award-winning Gary Sinise, Discovery will provide a special presentation of the NASA mission that changed human history forever. Supporting the Apollo 8 astronauts are the three men who have been selected to attempt the first moon landing—Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.  Two missions later, NASA is ready to go for the moon.  But no one knows what will happen to them when they get there.  Will the lunar module sink into the dust, will the crew be attacked by “lunar germs,” will they be able to blast away from the lunar surface once the mission is complete?