Neil Armstrong

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Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio on August 5, 1930. He started learning to fly when he was 14 and received his pilot’s license before he got his driver’s license. He received his pilot’s license on his 16th birthday. In 1947, he entered Purdue University on a Navy scholarship. After only two years of college he was called to active duty, received Navy flight training in Pensacola, Florida, and was sent to Korea. He flew 78 combat missions during the Korean War and received three Air Medals. After the war Armstrong returned to Purdue University and finished his degree in aeronautical engineering.

Armstrong became a test pilot at Edward Air Force Base. Among other planes, he flew the X-15 rocket plane; once setting an altitude and speed record. He received an invitation to join the astronaut program, but declined; he preferred flying. In 1962, realizing that his current project was nearing cancellation, he applied to become an astronaut. He became American’s first civilian astronaut and moved to Houston for training.

Armstrong’s first astronaut assignment was as a backup on Gemini 5. He became the command pilot on Gemini 8. His coolness under fire became evident during the malfunctions that occurred during the Gemini 8 flight. In January 1969, Armstrong was selected as commander of Apollo 11, the first mission scheduled to land on the moon. He, along with fellow astronauts Michael Collins and Edwin Aldrin, lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on July 16th on their way to the moon. On July 20th, Armstrong and Aldrin in the Eagle lunar module touched down on the moon. When he became the first man to step on the moon he uttered his famous sentence, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The astonauts returned to Earth on July 24th. As a result of the moon mission Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Harmon International Aviation Trophy, and the Royal Geographic Society’s Hubbard Gold Medal.

Apollo 11 was Armstrong’s final journey into space. He joined NASA’s Office of Advanced Research and Technology. In 1971, he left NASA and accepted a position at the University of Cincinnati. In 1978, he was awarded the congressional Space Medal of Honor which had been created to provide special recognition to an astronaut who has “distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the nation and of mankind.”

Since leaving NASA, Armstrong has kept a private profile. He has been involved in several business ventures and served on the Board of Directors of multiple companies. He served on the national Commission on Space and the Rogers Commission which investigated the space shuttle Challenger explosion.

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