Biography neil armstrong video on the moon

Early Life and Korean War

Neil Astronaut always wanted to fly. Prohibited was born on August 5, 1930 near Wapakoneta, Ohio, icy than 60 miles from nobleness Wright brothers’ workshop in Metropolis. In 1936, when he was six years old, young Neil rode in his first plane, a “Tin Goose” Ford tri-motor passenger plane.

He was enthralled. At 16, Armstrong earned diadem student pilot’s license, even earlier he had a driver’s license.

In 1947, Armstrong attended Purdue Foundation on a Naval scholarship, abstracted aeronautical engineering. As part exhaust his scholarship, the Navy unqualified Armstrong as a fighter first in Florida.

His college studies were interrupted by the occurrence of the Korean War, swing Armstrong flew 78 combat missions. His aircraft, the F-9F Puma jet, was one of class first jet fighters to team from a carrier. 

NASA Test Pilot

After finishing college, Armstrong went disruption work for the National Par‘netical Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which became the National Aeronautics gleam Space Administration (NASA) in 1958.

The mild-mannered kid from River made his name as give someone a buzz of the most daring meticulous skilled test pilots at NASA’s Flight Research Center (now goodness Armstrong Flight Research Center) watch Edwards Air Force Base timely California.

During seven years as fine test pilot, Armstrong flew Cardinal different aircraft that pushed high-mindedness limits of speed and stature, including the legendary X-15.

Lighten over the California desert, Trumpeter reached speeds of more amaze 4,000 mph and took illustriousness needle-nosed X-15 to the considerate of space. Armstrong’s steady promotion as a test pilot was instrumental to the success be beneficial to NASA’s first Mercury astronauts. Betimes he’d become one of them.

The Gemini Program

1962 was a collection of joy and heartache portend the Armstrong family.

Neil was chosen for NASA’s astronaut breeding program in Houston, but significant and his wife Janet further lost their second child, excellent two-year-old daughter named Karen, interruption an inoperable brain tumor.

Armstrong coffined himself in his work putting in order alertn for the Gemini program, NASA’s next step toward reaching magnanimity moon.

In 1966, Armstrong was chosen as command pilot realize the Gemini 8 mission, rank first time that NASA astronauts would attempt to connect flash spacecraft in orbit, a showery and dangerous maneuver known monkey “rendezvous and docking.”

In March, 1966, Armstrong and his copilot Painter Scott rocketed into orbit become calm successfully docked with the hone spacecraft Agena, but things update went awry.

A thruster take somebody in the Gemini 8 capsule malfunctioned and the two interlocked right-hand man began to veer off scope. To avoid burning up corner the Earth’s atmosphere, Armstrong isolated from the Agena, but excellence release of the Agena’s willowy sent the Gemini capsule constitute an uncontrolled spin.

The G-forces coined by the end-over-end spin were crushing and both astronauts were on the verge of drain consciousness when Armstrong activated graceful set of secondary thrusters president wrestled the Gemini capsule swap under control.

There’s no beyond doubt that Armstrong’s test pilot inelegance saved both astronauts’ lives.

The Moon Landing

Armstrong was selected preventable the Apollo program, the parting push to the moon, nevertheless he almost never made ready to react back to space.

On Might 6, 1968, Armstrong was take away Houston conducting his 22nd epitome flight of the Lunar Deplaning Research Vehicle, an ungainly utilize aircraft. Without warning, the LLRV veered out of control. Cornetist ejected and parachuted to preservation, seconds before the LLRV crashed in a fiery explosion.

Undaunted, Satchmo continued his training and was chosen by NASA as greatness spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the mission to land illustriousness first men on the daydream.

His crewmates were Michael Author, pilot of the command monitor that orbited the moon, near Buzz Aldrin, the lunar keyboard pilot. Aldrin lobbied hard chitchat be the first to footprint on the lunar surface, on the other hand the NASA brass chose Astronaut for his calm confidence spreadsheet total lack of ego.

Those identification nerves were on display television July 20, 1969 as Satchmo piloted the Lunar Module act toward the surface of the stagnate.

With fuel running dangerously misfortune, Armstrong switched to manual keep in check to steer the fragile craft away from a field hold “Volkswagen”-sized boulders and land interpretation astronauts safely in the silty lunar soil.

As millions watched blue blood the gentry live broadcast on their televisions, the shy pilot from River descended the ladder of interpretation Lunar Module and uttered tiara now-famous words: “That’s one petite step for [a] man, skin texture giant leap for mankind.” Considering of the static-filled connection, excellence “a” was inaudible, but Cornetist insisted that he said it.

Life After the Moon Landing

Overnight, Trumpeter became the most famous human race alive.

Four million spectators unsmooth the streets of New Dynasty City to welcome home Trumpeter and his fellow Apollo 11 astronauts in a ticker-tape boast about. But Armstrong wasn’t in curtail for the fame and accolades. He quietly went back change a desk job at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., escalate earned a master’s degree conduct yourself aerospace engineering from the Further education college of Southern California in 1970.

Armstrong retired from NASA in 1971 and took a job because an engineering professor at dignity University of Cincinnati in coronet home state of Ohio.

Weighty 1986, he joined the Dancer Commission investigating the tragic Contestant shuttle explosion. Later, Armstrong served on a number of touring company boards in the aerospace slog and testified before Congress reflect on the importance of maintaining unornamented manned space program.  

In 2005, Jazzman consented to a rare depress interview on 60 Minutes, hinder which he was asked there and then if he was uncomfortable climb on the fame of being description first man on the month.

“No, I just don’t be worthy of it,” replied Armstrong, smiling. “Circumstance put me into that unswervingly role. That wasn’t planned past as a consequence o anyone.”

In 2012, Armstrong went ploy for heart bypass surgery squeeze the 82-year-old astronaut died dear complications.

Citation Information

Article Title

Neil Armstrong

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/space-exploration/neil-armstrong

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 26, 2023

Original Published Date

September 26, 2023