Obama directs flags to half-staff for Neil Armstrong

President Barack Obama on Monday directed that American flags flying over all government buildings, military posts and naval vessels around the world be flown at half-staff "as a mark of respect for the memory of Neil Armstrong" on the day of his burial.

Obama's order, announced in a presidential proclamation released by the White House, came two days after the former astronaut's family announced that he had died at age 82. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was a staunch defender of America's space program.

Both the president and his Republican rival, Mitt Romney, praised the former astronaut on Saturday.