Neil Armstrong

From ArticleWorld

Neil Armstrong was a test pilot, astronaut, and the first man to walk on the moon. During his career he made several space expeditions and made history in the process.

Early Life

Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio on August 5, 1930. He was a fighter pilot in the United States Navy and flew 78 combat missions during the Korean War. This effort won Armstrong the Air Medal and two Gold Stars. Armstrong attended Purdue University on a Navy scholarship; here he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1955 and went on to get a Masters of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Southern California.

Career

Armstrong began his career as a research pilot at the Lewis Laboratory in Cleveland, Ohio before becoming a NACA test pilot at the High-Speed Flight Station at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Here he was a pioneer pilot on many different types of aircraft and amassed 2,450 flying hours.

Armstrong was chosen as an astronaut for NASA and made his first space mission in 1966 aboard Gemini 8, where he performed the very first successful docking of two vehicles in space. He also went up on Gemini 11 also in 1966 before making his infamous flight on Apollo 11 with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. This was the mission that saw Armstrong be the first man ever to step foot on the moon. He put up an American flag and said, "That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Armstrong resigned from NASA in 1971 and taught aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati until 1979. Today Armstrong lives in Lebanon, Ohio and is married with two sons. The Armstrong Air and Space Museum stands in his home town to remember the achievements of Armstrong and his fellow aviators.