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1 Chapter 1 : Neil Alden Armstrong () - Find A Grave Memorial U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong is seen in this NASA portrait taken in July Armstrong, the mission commander of the Apollo 11 moon landing mission, was the first person to set foot on the moon. He was of German and Scottish ancestry, [2] [3] and had a younger sister, June, and a younger brother, Dean. His father worked as an auditor for the Ohio state government, [4] and the family moved around the state repeatedly, living in sixteen towns over the next fourteen years. When he was five or six, 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". Armstrong attended Blume High School, and took flying lessons at the grassy Wapakoneta airfield. He was the second person in his family to attend college. He was also accepted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT, but an uncle who had attended MIT dissuaded him from attending, telling him that it was not necessary to go all the way to Cambridge, Massachusetts, for a good education. His college tuition was paid for under the Holloway Plan. Successful applicants committed to two years of study, followed by two years of flight training and one year of service in the U. After passing the medical examinations, he became a midshipman on February 24, On August 16,, Armstrong was informed by letter that he was a fully qualified naval aviator. His mother and sister attended his graduation ceremony on August 23, On November 27,, he was assigned to VF, an all-jet squadron, becoming its youngest officer, and made his first flight in a jet, a Grumman F9F Panther, on January 5, VF flew ahead to Naval Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii, where it conducted fighter-bomber training before rejoining the ship at the end of July. He intended to eject over water and await rescue by Navy helicopters, but his parachute was blown back over land. A jeep driven by a roommate from flight school picked him up; it is unknown what happened to the wreckage of his aircraft, F9F-2 BuNo Navy personnel killed in the Korean War, 27 of them were from the Essex on this war cruise. His regular commission was terminated on February 25,, and he became an ensign in the United States Navy Reserve. On completion of his combat tour with Essex, he was assigned to a transport squadron, VR, in May He was released from active duty on August 23,, but remained in the reserves, and was promoted to lieutenant junior grade on May 9, His previously earned good but not outstanding grades now improved, lifting his final Grade Point Average GPA to a respectable but not outstanding 4. He pledged the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, and lived in its fraternity house. He wrote and co-directed two musicals as part of the all-student revue. After one semester, they moved into a house in Antelope Valley. Janet did not finish her degree, a fact she regretted later in life. The couple had three children: Eric, Karen, and Mark. She died of pneumonia, related to her weakened health, on January 28,, aged two. He also flew the modified bombers, and on one of these missions had his first flight incident at Edwards. He sat in the right-hand pilot seat while the left-hand seat commander, Stan Butchart, flew the B Armstrong and Butchart brought the aircraft into a nose-down attitude to increase speed, then launched the Skyrocket. At the instant of launch, the number-four engine propeller disintegrated. Pieces of it damaged the number-three engine and hit the number-two engine. Butchart and Armstrong were forced to shut down the damaged number-three engine, along with the number-one engine, due to the torque it created. On landing, the poorly designed nose landing gear failed, as had happened on about a dozen previous flights of the Bell X-1B. He flew the North American X seven times, [40] including the first flight with the Q-ball system, the first flight of the number 3 X airframe, and the first flight of the MH adaptive flight control system. After sufficient descent, he turned back toward the landing area, and landed, just missing Joshua trees at the south end. It was the longest X flight in both flight time and length of the ground track. Milt Thompson said he was "the most technically capable of the early X pilots". Bill Dana said Armstrong "had a mind that absorbed things like a sponge". Those who flew for the Air Force tended to have a different opinion, especially people like Yeager and Pete Knight, who did not have engineering degrees. Knight said that pilot-engineers flew in a way that was "more mechanical than it is flying", and gave this as the reason why some pilot-engineers got into trouble: In his autobiography, Yeager wrote that he knew the lake bed was unsuitable for landings after recent rains, but Armstrong insisted on flying out anyway. As they attempted a touch-and-go, the wheels became stuck and they had to wait for rescue. As Armstrong told the story, Yeager Page 1

2 never tried to talk him out of it and they made a first successful landing on the east side of the lake. Then Yeager told him to try again, this time a bit slower. On the second landing, they became stuck, provoking Yeager to fits of laughter. He was sent in an F to inspect Delamar Dry Lake in southern Nevada, again for emergency landings. He misjudged his altitude, and did not realize that the landing gear had not fully extended. As he touched down, the landing gear began to retract; Armstrong applied full power to abort the landing, but the ventral fin and landing gear door struck the ground, damaging the radio and releasing hydraulic fluid. Without radio communication, Armstrong flew south to Nellis Air Force Base, past the control tower, and waggled his wings, the signal for a no-radio approach. The loss of hydraulic fluid caused the tailhook to release, and upon landing, he caught the arresting wire attached to an anchor chain, and dragged the chain along the runway. Armstrong telephoned Edwards and asked for someone to collect him. Milt Thompson was sent in an FB, the only two-seater available, but a plane Thompson had never flown. With great difficulty, Thompson made it to Nellis, where a strong crosswind caused a hard landing and the left main tire suffered a blowout. The runway was again closed to clear it, and Bill Dana was sent to Nellis in a T, but he almost landed long. The Nellis base operations office then decided that to avoid any further problems, it would be best to find the three NASA pilots ground transport back to Edwards. As a NASA civilian test pilot, Armstrong was ineligible to become one of its astronauts at this time, as selection was restricted to military test pilots. Air Force, and on March 15,, he was selected by the U. Air Force as one of seven pilot-engineers who would fly the X when it got off the design board. This time, selection was open to qualified civilian test pilots. After he returned from Seattle on June 4, he applied to become an astronaut. His application arrived about a week past the June 1,, deadline, but Dick Day, a flight simulator expert with whom Armstrong had worked closely at Edwards, saw the late arrival of the application and slipped it into the pile before anyone noticed. The selections were kept secret until three days later, although newspaper reports had been circulating since earlier that year that he would be selected as the "first civilian astronaut". Compared with the Mercury Seven astronauts, they were younger, [56] and had more impressive academic credentials. These would be required for a mission to the Moon. With two other flights Gemini 3 and Gemini 4 in preparation, there were six crews competing for simulator time, resulting in Gemini 5 being postponed. The mission lifted off on August Cooper and Conrad practiced a "phantom rendezvous", carrying out the maneuver without a target. Gemini 8 Armstrong, 35, suiting up for Gemini 8 in March The crew assignments for Gemini 8 were announced on September 20, Under the normal rotation system, the backup crew for one mission would become the prime crew for the third mission after, but Slayton designated David Scott as the pilot of Gemini 8. They were replaced by the backup crew of Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan, while Jim Lovell and Buzz Aldrin moved up from the backup crew of Gemini 10 to become the backup for Gemini 9, [69] and would eventually fly Gemini It was to be the most complex yet, with a rendezvous and docking with an unmanned Agena target vehicle, and the second American extravehicular activity EVA by Scott. In total, the mission was planned to last 75 hours and 55 orbits. After the Agena lifted off at Out of contact with the ground, the docked spacecraft began to roll, and Armstrong attempted to correct this with the Orbit Attitude and Maneuvering System OAMS of the Gemini spacecraft. Mission rules dictated that once this system was turned on, the spacecraft had to re-enter at the next possible opportunity. It was later thought that damaged wiring caused one of the thrusters to become stuck in the on position. These criticisms were unfounded; no malfunction procedures had been written, and it was only possible to turn on both RCS rings, not just one or the other. Kranz considered this the most important lesson. The Agena was later re-used as a docking target by Gemini Gemini 11 The final assignment for Armstrong in the Gemini program was as the back-up Command Pilot for Gemini 11, announced two days after the landing of Gemini 8. Having trained for two flights, Armstrong was quite knowledgeable about the systems and took on a teaching role for the rookie backup Pilot, William Anders. Johnson asked Armstrong and his wife to take part in a day goodwill tour of South America. In Paraguay, Armstrong greeted dignitaries in their local language, Guarani ; in Brazil he talked about the exploits of the Brazilian-born Alberto Santos-Dumont. The astronauts chatted with the assembled dignitaries until Armstrong and the group spent the rest of the night drinking scotch and discussing what had happened. The first thing Slayton said was, "The guys who are going to fly the first lunar missions are the guys in this Page 2

3 room. To Armstrong it came as no surpriseâ the room was full of veterans of Project Gemini, the only people who could fly the lunar missions. Based on the normal crew rotation scheme, Armstrong would command Apollo Mike Collins on the Apollo 8 crew began experiencing trouble with his legs. Doctors diagnosed the problem as a bony growth between his fifth and sixth vertebrae, requiring surgery. Later analysis suggested that if he had ejected half a second later, his parachute would not have opened in time. His only injury was from biting his tongue. The LLRV was completely destroyed. Aldrin and Armstrong worked with the instructors to train for the most feasible possibilities they could encounter during a real lunar landing. The press found out, and filled the area with cars and a helicopter, which made it hard for the astronauts to hear the geologist. They also received briefings from geologists while at NASA. After Armstrong served as backup commander for Apollo 8, Slayton offered him the post of commander of Apollo 11 on December 23,, as Apollo 8 orbited the Moon. After thinking it over for a day, Armstrong told Slayton he would stick with Aldrin, as he had no difficulty working with him and thought Lovell deserved his own command. Page 3

4 Chapter 2 : Neil Armstrong - Wikipedia Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, - August 25, ) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who was the first person to walk on the Moon. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. More Articles October 09, Neil Armstrong made history on July 20,, when he became the first man to walk on the moon. Armstrong poses for a portrait in July When he went away to college at Purdue University, he chose to study aeronautical engineering. Armstrong joins the war effort 2. He flew 78 combat missions during the conflict, was shot down once, and was awarded three Air Medals for his service. After the war ended, he returned to Indiana and completed his degree in He married his wife Janet in, and they went on to have three children â two sons and a daughter who died at age three in The first step toward space 3. Armstrong the test pilot Neil A. He worked as a test pilot and an engineer and spent more than 1, hours flying planes such as the X, a rocket-powered aircraft. Armstrong is pictured above in an undated photo with the X, another experimental aircraft. Becoming an astronaut 4. From left to right are unidentified trainer, Neil Armstrong, John H. Gordon Cooper and Pete Conrad. NASA The astronaut selection process was rigorous, and more training was required after joining the program. They were completing a training course for future space travelers. A mission that almost ended in disaster 6. Scott left, Pilot; and, Neil A. Fortunately, some quick thinking saved the day. The Gemini 8 splashdown 7. Scott sit with their spacecraft hatches open while awaiting the arrival of the recovery ship, the USS Leonard F. Mason, after the successful completion of their Gemini 8 mission. Though the original plan had been to splash down somewhere in the Atlantic, the onboard emergency forced a change of plans. This photo shows Armstrong and Scott sitting in their spacecraft while they wait for the recovery ship to arrive. Left to right are astronauts William A. Anders, backup crew pilot; Richard F. Armstrong, backup crew command pilot. A training mishap 9. A frightening crash Armstrong parachuting to safety after he lost control of his test vehicle, which is seen burning on the ground after its crash. NASA Space travel could be dangerous, even during training. Armstrong experienced that firsthand on May 6,, during a simulated lunar landing mission at Ellington Air Force Base near Houston. While about feet above ground, he made the decision to eject and was able to parachute safely down to the ground, as shown in the photo above. Heading to the moon The Apollo 11 crew Lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin; commander Neil Armstrong; and command module pilot Michael Collins are shown in this portrait taken on January 10, Armstrong would serve as the commander, while Buzz Aldrin would be the lunar module pilot and Michael Collins would be the command module pilot. Immediately, people began speculating about who would be the first man on the moon â Aldrin or Armstrong. Collins was ineligible because he was the command module pilot. Reportedly, Armstrong was first because it was easier for him to exit the cramped landing module before Aldrin. Preparing for the moon landing NASA With less than a year before the trip to the moon, Armstrong and the other astronauts immediately began to prepare. NASA developed a fake lunar surface designed to simulate the surface where Aldrin and Armstrong would be working. The training was so intense that the astronauts even had to turn down a dinner invitation from President Nixon, since taking time off would put them too far behind schedule. This is where astronauts practiced touchdowns and used the Reduced Gravity Simulator to practice walking, running, and completing various tasks. She and Armstrong divorced in Would they make it to the moon? According to Scientific American, Armstrong believed that the Apollo 11 crew had a very good chance of making it back to the earth safely. But he thought the odds of actually landing on the moon were much lower. As he explained in a interview: The photo above shows Armstrong leading his co-astronauts out of the space center. This NASA video shows the three astronauts entering the spacecraft, followed by the launch of the foot-tall Saturn V rocket that would carry them to the moon. The moon landing Armstrong on the moon This photo of Neil Armstrong on the moon shows him working on his spacecraft on the lunar surface. Armstrong may have been the first man on the moon, but there are remarkably few photos that show him on the lunar surface. Whatever the reason, the photo above is one of the only ones that actually shows Armstrong on the moon. Mastering the difficult landing was the thing he was most proud of. As he said in a interview: In my view, the emotional moment was the landing. That was human contact with the moon, Page 4

5 the landingâ. It was at the time when we landed that we were there, we were in the lunar environment, the lunar gravity. That, in my view, wasâ the emotional high. And the business of getting down the ladder to me was much less significant. Returning to Earth Splashdown in the Pacific U. Clancey Hatleberg disinfects astronauts Neil A. The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at This photo shows the Apollo 11 crew, along with a Navy swimmer, waiting for pickup. All four men are wearing biological isolation suits. The isolation unit Instead, Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins spent 21 days in a mobile quarantine facility. The goal was to prevent any possible pathogens that the astronauts might have encountered on the moon from spreading to earth. The astronauts even went through Customs after they returned from their groundbreaking journey. The form, which declared moon rock and moon dust samples, was signed by each of the three astronauts as a joke upon their return, according to Space. A visit from the president President Richard Nixon was in the Pacific to welcome the space travelers back to Earth. This photo shows the president speaking to the three astronauts who are in their quarantine facility on the USS Hornet. Armstrong is on the left. The quarantine facility was actually a converted Airstream trailer. The celebrations begin Pictured in the lead car, from the right, are astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin. On August 13, shortly after the end of their isolation period, Aldrin, Armstrong, and Collins were honored with a ticker-tape parade down Broadway in New York City. In the photo, Armstrong is in the first car on the far right, waving to the crowd. Collins is in the center and Aldrin is on the left. In the fall of, the astronauts and their wives embarked on a country world tour, which aimed to show that the U. Armstrong is standing to the left of the Pope. After the moon landing He continued to work at NASA until, serving as the deputy associate administrator for aeronautics. This photo shows him in his office in Washington, D. Later, he worked in the private sector for several companies. A rare public appearance He rarely gave interviews and seemed eager to return to private life once he left NASA. But he made a notable exception in, when he agreed to appear in an ad for Chrysler cars that first ran during the Super Bowl. While the move was unusual, at the time he said he wanted to support the struggling American automaker. Astronaut Eugene Cernan is pictured in the background. He was vice chairman of the Presidential Commission the investigating the Challenger accident in He was adamant that the space program continue. If the leadership we have acquired through our investment is simply allowed to fade away, other nations will surely step in where we have faltered. Armstrong passes away After his death, his family released the following statement. Page 5

6 Chapter 3 : Sen - space television Neil Armstrong, - Paul Sutherland, Feature writer Aug 24,, UTC Senâ Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the Moon, has died at the age of And the world mourns the loss of a man who achieved something no other human can ever do - to take the first steps on a world other than the Ear. See Article History Alternative Title: Moon landing, Perhaps the most famous of all space films, these clips document the arrival of the first human beings on the Moon during the afternoon of July 20, In the audio can be heard one of the most famous misstatements in history: He was active in the Boy Scouts of America and earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank attainable. He became a licensed pilot on his 16th birthday and a naval air cadet in His studies in aeronautical engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, were interrupted in by his service in the Korean War, during which he was shot down once and was awarded three Air Medals. He flew more than 1, hours, testing various supersonic fighters as well as the X rocket plane. In Armstrong joined the space program with its second group of astronauts. Scott rendezvoused with an unmanned Agena rocket and completed the first manual space docking maneuver. After the docking, a rocket thruster malfunction sent the spacecraft into an uncontrolled spin and forced them to separate from the Agena. Armstrong then regained control of the Gemini craft and made an emergency splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Four days later, at 4: Armstrong and Aldrin left the module for more than two hours and deployed scientific instruments, collected surface samples, and took numerous photographs. After splashdown in the Pacific at During the days that followed, and during a tour of 21 nations, they were hailed for their part in the opening of a new era in human exploration of the universe. The crew of Apollo 11 from left to right: After Apollo 11 he shied away from being a public figure and confined himself to academic and professional endeavours. From to he was professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati Ohio. After Armstrong served as chairman or director for a number of companies, among them Computing Technologies for Aviation from to and AIL Systems later EDO Corporation, a maker of electronic equipment for the military, from until his retirement in He also served on the National Commission on Space NCOS, a panel charged with setting goals for the space program, and on the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident, the group appointed in to analyze the safety failures in the Challenger disaster. Learn More in these related Britannica articles: Page 6

7 Chapter 4 : 11 Things You Might Not Know About Neil Armstrong Mental Floss In his authorized biography "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong" was published and released to the general public. American Astronaut. He was the mission commander of the Apollo 11 manned space flight to the Moon. At around age 6, his father took him on a ride in a Ford Trimotor airplane, one of the most popular airplanes in the world. When Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on the moon, hundreds of millions of television viewers were riveted. According to First Man: The Life of Neil A. One of the most iconic shots, above, is Aldrin; Armstrong only appears as a reflection in his helmet. Theories abound as to why it was Armstrong and not Buzz Aldrin who first set foot on the moon. On the Gemini missions, the co-pilot did the spacewalks, while the commander stayed in the craft. For Apollo 11, Armstrong was the commander. The answer may have been the simple logistics of getting out of their lunar module. The exit had a right hinge that opened inwardly, with the man sitting on the left Armstrong having the most unobstructed path to the outside. Aldrin would have essentially had to climb over Armstrong to get out first. Because there is no air resistance, nothing could slow their descent, and they used thrusters to guide the craft down. That meant there was only enough fuel to attempt it once. When Armstrong surveyed the surface of the moon, he collected a bag of dust for NASA scientists to examine. But its sale was, apparently, an accident: They had to bask in their newfound fame from inside a sealed chamber. All three men were quarantined for three weeks in the event they had picked up any strange space virus. Yes, the undergarment people. In the early s, NASA doled out contract work for their space suits to government suppliers, but it was Playtex or more properly the International Latex Corporation and their understanding of fabrics and seams that led to NASA awarding them responsibility for the Apollo mission suits. Their A7L suit was what Armstrong wore to insulate himself against the harsh void of space when he made his famous touchdown. Demands for his time were everywhere, and he had little ambition to become a walking oral history of his singular achievement. Instead, he accepted a job as a professor of engineering at the University of Cincinnati and remained on the faculty for eight years. Hallmark was forced to defend itself when Armstrong took issue with the company using his name and likeness without permission for a Christmas ornament. For a Super Bowl commercial spot, Armstrong agreed to appear on camera endorsing Chrysler automobiles. Armstrong said he did it because he wanted the struggling U. The ads never mentioned Armstrong was an astronaut. Page 7

8 Chapter 5 : Biography of Neil Armstrong NASA On July 20,, American astronauts Neil Armstrong () and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin () became the first humans ever to land on the moon. About six-and-a-half hours later, Armstrong. Kennedy announced before a special joint session of Congress the dramatic and ambitious goal of sending an American safely to the moon before the end of the decade, igniting the "space race" with the Soviet Union during the era of the Cold War. Four years after the Sputnik shock of, the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first human in space on April 12,, an embarrassing moment for the U. While Alan Shepard became the first American in space on May 5, he only flew on a short suborbital flight instead of orbiting the earth, as Gagarin had done. The decision involved enormous human effort and expenditure to make what became Project Apollo a reality by Only the construction of the Panama Canal in modern peacetime and the Manhattan Project in war were comparable in scope. On May 25,, President John F. Kennedy announced the goal of sending astronauts to the moon before the end of the decade. Eight years later that dream became a reality as the swing arms moved away and a plume of flame signaled the liftoff of the Apollo 11 carrying astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Here, astronaut Neil Armstrong, left, displays a plaque that would be attached to a landing leg of the lunar module "Eagle" descent stage and left on the moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts as Col. Buzz Aldrin, center, holds the Apollo 11 insignia at a news conference at the Space Center. Command Module pilot Lt. Michael Collins is at right. The plaque reads, "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. We came in peace for all mankind. AP Apollo 11 crew The official crew photo of the Apollo 11 mission. From left to right are astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, who died August 25, at 82, commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon July 20, Armstrong and fellow astronaut 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 to Aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft are astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, command module pilot; and Edwin E. While astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin descended in the Lunar Module "Eagle" to explore the Sea of Tranquility region of the moon, astronaut Collins remained with the Command and Service Modules "Columbia" in lunar orbit. The first of six successful lunar missions, Apollo 11 marked the first time humans set foot on another planetary surface. Armstrong and Aldrin gathered samples of lunar material and deployed scientific experiments that transmitted data about the lunar environment. From left to right are: Phillips, Director of the Apollo Program. NASA Armstrong walks on moon Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong walks slowly away from the lunar module taking the first steps on the surface of the moon to explore its surface on July 20, During this first historic exploration of the moon, Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21 hours on the lunar surface and brought back 46 pounds of lunar rocks. AP Armstrong walks on moon Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, right, trudges across the surface of the moon leaving behind footprints on July 20, Buzz Aldrin is seen closer to the craft. The men reported the surface of the moon was like soft sand and they left footprints several inches deep wherever they walked. NASA Armstrong works on lunar module As commander of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong took most of the photographs from the historic moonwalk, but this rare shot from fellow moonwalker Buzz Aldrin shows Armstrong at work near the lunar module Eagle. Mission commander Neil Armstrong took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera while he and Aldrin explored the Sea of Tranquility region of the moon. The samples showed that the Apollo 11 landing site in Mare Tranquillitatis was once the site of volcanic activity, and the flat surface that afforded such an incredible vista was due to broad, thin flows of lava that flooded the region. When Neil Armstrong took his famous first steps onto the lunar surface, he kicked around the soil. Magnificent sight out here. One experiment involved the inner composition of the moon, and another tried to determine the exact distance from Earth. Daedalus formerly referred to as Crater No. This is a typical scene showing the rugged terrain on the farside of the moon. Armstrong made history on July 20,, when he became the first person to walk on the moon as commander of Apollo Armstrong and Aldrin had already completed their historic spacewalk when this picture was made. NASA Moon This outstanding view of the full moon was photographed from the Page 8

9 Apollo 11 spacecraft during its trans-earth journey homeward. When this picture was taken, the spacecraft was already 10, nautical miles away. You can even spot the discarded cover of the LRRR. Another trail leads toward Little West crater around 50 meters feet to the east of the LM. This was an unplanned excursion near the end of the two and a half hours spent on the surface. Armstrong ran over to get a look inside the crater, and this was the farthest either astronaut ventured from the landing site. Their tracks cover less area than a typical city block. Page 9

10 Chapter 6 : Neil Armstrong - Phi Delta Theta Museum Armstrong, a year-old civilian research pilot, was the commander of the mission. After traveling, miles in 76 hours, Apollo 11 entered into a lunar orbit on July Armstrong, the mission commander of the Apollo 11 moon landing mission, was the first person to set foot on the moon. His family announced he died Saturday, August 25, at the age of Family photo Neil A. Armstrong in a photo. Upon graduation from high school in, Armstrong received a scholarship from the U. He enrolled at Purdue University to begin the study of aeronautical engineering. He received the Air Medal and two Gold Stars. In, Armstrong returned to Purdue University and graduated with a bachelors degree in aeronautical engineering in He later earned a masters degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. He later became a test pilot and flew the hottest aircraft around, including the sleek X rocket plane, taking the powerful craft to, feet - the very edge of space. The missile-shaped X was a rocket-powered aircraft 50 feet long with a wingspan of 22 feet. Over a decade Xs made flights, and information gained from the program contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo manned spaceflight programs, as well as the space shuttle. Armstrong, command pilot left, and David R. Armstrong was in the first group of civilian astronauts, and made his initial flight in, aboard Gemini VIII. Suit technician Jim Garrepy assists. The mission almost ended in disaster when a thruster on his craft stuck open, sending the ship whirling through space. With his trademark coolness, Armstrong used a back-up system, stopped the one-revolution-per-second spin and made an emergency landing in the Pacific. NASA Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, wearing Extravehicular Mobility Units, participate in a simulation of deploying and using lunar tools on the surface of the moon beside a Lunar Module mockup during a training exercise on April 22, Aldrin left simulates deploying the Passive Seismic Experiment Package to pick up a sample while Armstrong holds a bag to receive the sample. Armstrong does a final check of his communications system before the boarding of the Apollo 11 mission, July 16, The fourth man in the life raft is a U. Navy underwater demolition team swimmer. All four are wearing Biological Isolation Garments. Despite the initial fanfare, after the historic flight of Apollo 11 Armstrong remained a humble and intensely private person. He left NASA and taught engineering at the University of Cincinnati and later served on the boards of several aerospace firms. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Page 10

11 Chapter 7 : Neil Armstrong - Photo 24 - Pictures - CBS News Neil Armstrong () "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." - Neil Armstrong Neil Armstrong was an aerospace engineer, naval aviator, test pilot, university professor, but most notably, an American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon. Neil Armstrong, Commander of Apollo And the world mourns the loss of a man who achieved something no other human can ever do - to take the first steps on a world other than the Earth. Such an historic event on the Apollo 11 mission marked this NASA astronaut out as a very special person. But it was a measure of the man that Armstrong was never affected by his achievement, retiring soon afterwards to relative obscurity as he pursued an academic career. NASA Armstrong, who died of complications following heart surgery earlier this month, was always modest about his role in landing in the Sea of Tranquillity with Buzz Aldrin in July while the third member of their crew, Michael Collins, orbited in the command module overhead. Armstrong would deny that he was a risk-taker and refer to the huge backup team on Earth who helped ensure their safety. But the pioneers of space exploration were all heroes and the first Moon landing, little more than eight years after the first man had flown in space, was an amazing success. Every astronaut back in the Sixties was taking a chance with his life simply by blasting into space atop vast tanks of fuel that made their rockets virtual bombs. Even today, space flight is never routine. And in flying to the Moon, there was every chance that astronauts could miss their target, crash or be marooned and never able to return. It is known that then US President Richard Nixon was ready to address the nation if such a disaster occurred. The crew were in quarantine until August What is clear is that the Moon landing, ordered by President John F Kennedy and the climax of a space race driven by the Cold War competition of superpowers the US and the Soviet Union, inspired a generation around the world. This writer is old enough to remember the Apollo 11 mission well. As a teenager, I stayed up all night to witness first the landing of lunar module Eagle, and then, after an agonisingly long wait, the exit to the lunar surface by Armstong and Aldrin. The grainy, grey images were hard to see on TV. Next day we had to go to school, bleary eyed from lack of sleep, but all aware we were witnessing history in the making. Why, the headmaster had even organised a TV in the school hall for us to watch the unfolding events. Armstrong had already made a name for himself in the Korean War, flying several combat missions. Later as a test pilot he had a major scrape in a B Superfortress when all but one of the four propellor engines failed but they landed safely. The Apollo 11 crew returned as heroes. Here the crew are paraded in New York. NASA After becoming an astronaut, Armstrong faced disaster again in September when his two-man Gemini 8 spacecraft began spinning after docking with a satellite. He brought it safely home to a splashdown in the Pacific. He showed his cool side while training for the Apollo landing. A test model of the lander, nicknamed a "flying bedstead" went out of control in and Armstrong had to eject with a bitten tongue as his only injury. Calmly he went straight back to his office to work. Even the Apollo 11 landing turned into a drama. As lunar module Eagle approached the surface, Armstrong could see that their planned landing site was full of boulders. He overrode the computer to fly further to a safer site and landed with just seconds of fuel to spare. When he returned to quarantine, Armstrong was not happy with fame. He retired from NASA in for an academic career and to work in business. Armstrong was survived by his wife, Carol, two sons, a stepson, a stepdaughter, and ten grandchildren. Thank you, Neil, for showing us the power of one small step. When President Kennedy challenged the nation to send a human to the Moon, Neil Armstrong accepted without reservation. We mourn the passing of a friend, fellow astronaut and true American hero. Honour his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the Moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink. Page 11

12 Chapter 8 : Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, After serving in the Korean War and then finishing college, he joined the organization that would become NASA. Visit Website Moon Landing Armstrong faced an even bigger challenge in Along with Michael Collins and Edwin E. The trio were launched into space on July 16, Collins remained on the Command Module. For about two and a half hours, Armstrong and Aldrin collected samples and conducted experiments. They also took photographs, including their own footprints. The crew and the craft were picked up by the U. Hornet, and the three astronauts were put into quarantine for three weeks. Before long, the three Apollo 11 astronauts were given a warm welcome home. Crowds lined the streets of New York City to cheer on the famous heroes who were honored in a ticker-tape parade. Armstrong received numerous awards for his efforts, including the Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Later Contributions Armstrong remained with NASA, serving as deputy associate administrator for aeronautics until Armstrong remained at the university for eight years. Staying active in his field, he served as the chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc. Helping out at a difficult time, Armstrong served as vice chairman of the Presidential Commission on the space shuttle Challenger accident in The commission investigated the explosion of the Challenger on January 28,, which took the lives of its crew, including school teacher Christa McAuliffe. Despite being one of the most famous astronauts in history, Armstrong has largely shied away from the public eye. He gave a rare interview to the news program 60 Minutes in The horizon seems quite close to you because the curvature is so much more pronounced than here on earth. The Life of Neil A. Armstrong" was written by James R. Hansen, who conducted interviews with Armstrong, his family, and his friends and associates. Armstrong and his first wife divorced in He spent his final years with his second wife, Carol, in Indian Hill, Ohio. He died at age 82 on August 25,, several weeks after undergoing heart surgery. Biography courtesy of BIO. Page 12

13 Chapter 9 : Buzz Aldrin - Wikipedia Neil A. Armstrong was born Aug. 5,, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He earned an aeronautical engineering degree from Purdue University and a master's in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. View moreless Facts of Neil Armstrong Neil wanted to become a pilot from an early age. When he was two years old, his father took him to the Cleveland Air Races where he had his first experience watching airplane flight in Warren, Ohio. When Armstrong was sixteen years old, he earned a student flight certificate. Neil started his career as an officer in the U. Navy and served in the Korean War where he flew 78 mission over Korea spending over hours in the air. After serving for four years, he left Navy at the age of 22, becoming the junior grade lieutenant In the U. He landed on the surface of the Moon on 20th July Moving towards his personal life, Neil Armstrong was married twice. Firstly, he was married to Janet Shearon on 28th January After 38 years of marital relationship, Armstrong and Janet got divorced in Later, Neil got married to Carol Held Knight in The couple met each other in at a gold tournament. They got married at San Ysidro Ranch in California. He underwent bypass surgery held on 7th August to relieve blocked coronary arteries. Though he was recovering well, he had complications in the hospital which lead him to death. Being an American astronaut, engineer, Pilot, and Navy service officer, he had different sources of income. He trained for 18 months and started serving for the USA. Married to Janet Shearon January 28, Neil Armstrong got married to Janet Shearon on 28th January and gave birth to sons, Eric and Mark, and a daughter, Karen but died at the age of three because of a brain tumor. The couple met each other in and got married at San Ysidro Ranch in California. Died because of locked coronary arteries August 25, The first person to step on the moon, Neil Armstrong died on 25th August in Cincinnati, Ohio. His underwent bypass surgery held on 7th August causes blocked coronary arteries which eventually lead him to death. Current Net worth Neil Armstrong earned the tremendous amount of money in his career. Being American astronaut, engineer, Pilot, and Navy service, he had earned money from different sources. Page 13