Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor and United States Naval Aviator. He was the first person to walk on the Moon. Before becoming an astronaut, Armstrong was a United States Navy officer and had served in the Korean War. After the war, he served as a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics High-Speed Flight Station, now known as the Dryden Flight Research Center, where he logged over 900 flights. He graduated from Purdue University and the University of Southern California. A participant in the U.S. Air Force's Man In Space Soonest and X-20 Dyna-Soar human spaceflight programs, Armstrong joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1962. His first spaceflight was the NASA Gemini 8 mission in 1966, for which he was the command pilot, becoming one of the first U.S. civilians in space.[1] On this mission, he performed the first! manned docking of two spacecraft with pilot David Scott . Armstrong's second and last spaceflight was as mission commander of the Apollo 11 moon landing in July 1969. On this mission, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface and spent 2½ hours exploring, while Michael Collins remained in orbit in the Command Module. Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon along with Collins and Aldrin, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009. On August 25, 2012, Armstrong died in Cincinnati, Ohio,[2] at the age of 82 due to complications from blocked coronary arteries. Contents 1 Early years 2 Navy service 3 College years 4 Test pilot 5 Astronaut career 5.1 Gemini program 5.1.1 Gemini 8 5.1.2 Gemini 11 5.2 Apollo program 5.2.1 Apollo 11 5.2.1.1 Voyage to the Moon 5.2.1.2 First Moon walk 5.2.1.3 Return to Earth 6 Life after Apollo 6.1 Teachi! ng 6.2 NASA accident investigations 6.3 Business activities 7 ! Personal life 8 Illness and death 9 Legacy 10 See also 11 References 12 Bibliography 13 Further reading 14 External links Early years Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930,[3] in Wapakoneta, Ohio, to Stephen Koenig Armstrong and Viola Louise Engel.[4][5] He was of Scottish and German descent, and had two younger siblings, June and Dean. Stephen Armstrong worked as an auditor[6] for the Ohio state government, and the family moved around the state repeatedly in the 15 years following Armstrong's birth, living in 20 different towns. His love for flying grew during this time, having gotten off to an early start when his father took 2-year-old Neil to the Cleveland Air Races. On July 20, 1936, when he was 6, he experienced his first airplane flight in Warren, Ohio, when he and his father took a ride in a Ford Trimotor, also known as the "Tin Goose".[7] His father's last move was to Wapakoneta (Auglaize County) in 1944, where Neil attended Blume High School. Armstrong began t! aking flying lessons at the county airport, and was just 15 when he earned his flight certificate, before he had a driver's license. Armstrong was active in the Boy Scouts and he eventually earned the rank of Eagle Scout. As an adult, he was recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with its Distinguished Eagle Scout Award and Silver Buffalo Award.[8] On July 18, 1969, while flying towards the Moon inside the Columbia, he greeted the Scouts: "I'd like to say hello to all my fellow Scouts and Scouters at Farragut State Park in Idaho having a National Jamboree there this week; and Apollo 11 would like to send them best wishes". Houston: "Thank you, Apollo 11. I'm sure that, if they didn't hear that, they'll get the word through the news. Certainly appreciate that."[9] In 1947, Armstrong began studying aerospace engineering at Purdue University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta[10] and Kappa Kappa Psi.[11] He was only the second person in his family to att! end college, and was also accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Te! chnology (MIT), but the only engineer he knew (who had attended MIT) dissuaded him from attending, telling Armstrong that it was not necessary to go all the way to Cambridge, Massachusetts, for a good education.[12] His college tuition was paid for under the Holloway Plan – successful applicants committed to two years of study, followed by three years of service in the United States Navy, then completion of the final two years of the degree. At Purdue, he earned average marks in his subjects, with a GPA that rose and fell during eight semesters. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University in 1955, and, from the University of Southern California in 1970, a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering.[3] Armstrong held honorary doctorates from a number of universities.[13] Navy service Armstrong's call-up from the Navy arrived on January 26, 1949, requiring him to report to Naval Air Station Pensacola for flight ! training. This lasted almost 18 months, during which he qualified for carrier landing aboard the USS Cabot and USS Wright. On August 16, 1950, two weeks after his 20th birthday, Armstrong was informed by letter he was a fully qualified Naval Aviator.[14] His first assignment was to Fleet Aircraft Service Squadron 7 at NAS San Diego (now known as NAS North Island). Two months later he was assigned to Fighter Squadron 51 (VF-51), an all-jet squadron, and made his first flight in a jet, an F9F-2B Panther, on January 5, 1951. In June, he made his first jet carrier landing on the USS Essex and was promoted the same week from Midshipman to Ensign. By the end of the month, the Essex had set sail with VF-51 aboard, bound for Korea, where they would act as ground-attack aircraft.[15] Armstrong first saw action in the Korean War on August 29, 1951, as an escort for a photo reconnaissance plane over Songjin.[16] On September 3, 1951, Armstrong flew armed ! reconnaissance over the primary transportation and storage facilities s! outh of the village of Majon-ni, west of Wonsan; while he was making a low bombing run at about 350 mph (560 km/h), Armstrong's F9F Panther was hit by anti-aircraft fire. While trying to regain control, Armstrong collided with a pole at a height of about 20 feet (6.1 m), which sliced off an estimated three feet of the Panther's right wing.[17] Armstrong was able to fly the plane back to friendly territory, but due to the loss of the aileron, ejection was his only safe option. He planned to eject over water and await rescue by Navy helicopters, and therefore flew to an airfield near Pohang, but his ejection seat was blown back over land.[18] A jeep driven by a room-mate from flight school picked Armstrong up; it is unknown what happened to the wreckage of No. 125122 F9F-2.[19] Armstrong flew 78 missions over Korea for a total of 121 hours in the air, most of which were in January 1952. He received the Air Medal for 20 combat missions, a Gold Star for the next ! 20, and the Korean Service Medal and Engagement Star.[20] Armstrong left the Navy at the age of 22 on August 23, 1952, and became a Lieutenant, Junior Grade in the United States Naval Reserve. He resigned his commission in the Naval Reserve on October 21, 1960.[21] As a research pilot, Armstrong served as project pilot on the F-100 Super Sabre A and C variants, F-101 Voodoo, and the Lockheed F-104A Starfighter. He also flew the Bell X-1B, Bell X-5, North American X-15, F-105 Thunderchief, F-106 Delta Dart, B-47 Stratojet, KC-135 Stratotanker, and was one of eight elite pilots involved in the paraglider research vehicle program (Paresev). College years After his service with the Navy, Armstrong returned to Purdue, where his best grades came in the four semesters following his return from Korea. His final GPA was 4.8 out of 6.0.[22] He pledged the Phi Delta Theta fraternity after his return and he wrote and co-directed its musical as part of the all-student revue; h! e was also a member of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternit! y and a baritone player in the Purdue All-American Marching Band. Armstrong graduated in 1955 with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering.[21] While at Purdue, he met Janet Elizabeth Shearon, who was majoring in home economics. According to the two, there was no real courtship, and neither could remember the exact circumstances of their engagement, except that it occurred while Armstrong was working at the NACA's Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. They were married on January 28, 1956, at the Congregational Church in Wilmette, Illinois. When he moved to Edwards Air Force Base, he lived in the bachelor quarters of the base, while Janet lived in the Westwood district of Los Angeles. After one semester, they moved into a house in Antelope Valley. Janet never finished her degree, a fact she regretted later in life.[23] The couple had three children together: Eric, Karen, and Mark.[24] In June 1961, Karen was diagnosed with a malignant tumor of the middl! e part of her brain stem; X-ray treatment slowed its growth but her health deteriorated to the point where she could no longer walk or talk. Karen died of pneumonia, related to her weakened health, on January 28, 1962.[25] Armstrong later completed his master of science degree in aeronautical engineering at the University of Southern California.[3] Test pilot A portrait of Armstrong taken November 20, 1956, while he was a test pilot at the NACA High-Speed Flight Station at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Following his graduation from Purdue, Armstrong decided to become an experimental research test pilot. He applied at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics High-Speed Flight Station at Edwards Air Force Base; although they had no open positions, they did forward his application to the Lewis Flight Propuls
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Neil Armstrong, who died today following heart surger! y, never wanted to be remembered simply as the first man on the moon. T! he images of the first moon walk with Buzz Read the rest
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When Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon, on July 20, 1969, he uttered a phrase that has been carved in stone and quoted across Read the rest
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Family says Neil Armstrong, who gave world 'giant leap' with 1st footprint on moon, has died. Read the rest
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Neil Armstrong has died at the age of 82. As reported by the Associated Press, Armstrong died following "complications resulting from cardiovascular Read the rest
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Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who marked an epochal achievement in exploration with "one small step" from the Apollo 11 lunar module on July 20, 1969, becoming Read the rest
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Neil Armstrong, commander of Apollo 11 and the first man to ever set foot on the moon, died to today at age 82 due to complications from his heart surgery three weeks Read the rest
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(CNN)-- Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut who made "one giant leap for mankind" when he became the first man to walk on the moon, died Saturday. He Read the rest
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Astronaut Neil Armstrong, who uttered one of history's most famous proclamations when he became the first man to walk on the moon in 1969, died Saturday Read the rest
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Neil Armstrong, who set mankind's first steps on the moon during Apollo 11, the mission that finally made extraterrestrial travel seem real and gave the Read the rest
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Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who became first to walk on the moon as commander of Apollo 11, has died. He was 82 years old. Armstrong had heart surgery several weeks Read the rest