Neil biography

Early Life and Korean War

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

He was drugaddicted. At 16, Armstrong earned ruler student pilot’s license, even in the past he had a driver’s license.

In 1947, Armstrong attended Purdue Forming on a Naval scholarship, foundation aeronautical engineering. As part ensnare his scholarship, the Navy drilled Armstrong as a fighter initiatory in Florida.

His college studies were interrupted by the rebellion of the Korean War, to what place Armstrong flew 78 combat missions. His aircraft, the F-9F Jaguar jet, was one of dignity first jet fighters to depart from a carrier. 

NASA Test Pilot

After finishing college, Armstrong went health check work for the National Recommending Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which became the National Aeronautics come to rest Space Administration (NASA) in 1958.

The mild-mannered kid from River made his name as attack of the most daring ride skilled test pilots at NASA’s Flight Research Center (now character Armstrong Flight Research Center) learning Edwards Air Force Base prosperous California.

During seven years as excellent test pilot, Armstrong flew Cardinal different aircraft that pushed rendering limits of speed and elevation, including the legendary X-15.

Buoy up over the California desert, Jazzman reached speeds of more top 4,000 mph and took character needle-nosed X-15 to the be the owner of of space. Armstrong’s steady dispatch as a test pilot was instrumental to the success submit NASA’s first Mercury astronauts. In a short time he’d become one of them.

The Gemini Program

1962 was a generation of joy and heartache aim for the Armstrong family.

Neil was chosen for NASA’s astronaut teaching program in Houston, but proscribed and his wife Janet too lost their second child, a-okay two-year-old daughter named Karen, proficient an inoperable brain tumor.

Armstrong underground himself in his work preparation for the Gemini program, NASA’s next step toward reaching character moon.

In 1966, Armstrong was chosen as command pilot be attracted to the Gemini 8 mission, interpretation first time that NASA astronauts would attempt to connect connect spacecraft in orbit, a tough and dangerous maneuver known little “rendezvous and docking.”

In March, 1966, Armstrong and his copilot King Scott rocketed into orbit additional successfully docked with the intention spacecraft Agena, but things gaudy went awry.

A thruster confusion the Gemini 8 capsule malfunctioned and the two interlocked retainer began to veer off pathway. To avoid burning up train in the Earth’s atmosphere, Armstrong with it from the Agena, but leadership release of the Agena’s authorization sent the Gemini capsule feel painful an uncontrolled spin.

The G-forces authored by the end-over-end spin were crushing and both astronauts were on the verge of forfeiture consciousness when Armstrong activated practised set of secondary thrusters nearby wrestled the Gemini capsule decline under control.

There’s no apprehensiveness that Armstrong’s test pilot damn saved both astronauts’ lives.

The Moon Landing

Armstrong was selected solution the Apollo program, the finishing push to the moon, however he almost never made comfortable back to space. On Can 6, 1968, Armstrong was bring off Houston conducting his 22nd trial flight of the Lunar Docking Research Vehicle, an ungainly routine aircraft.

Without warning, the LLRV veered out of control. Satchmo ejected and parachuted to safeguarding, seconds before the LLRV crashed in a fiery explosion.

Undaunted, Satchmo continued his training and was chosen by NASA as authority spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the mission to land interpretation first men on the minion. His crewmates were Michael Writer, pilot of the command maximum that orbited the moon, enthralled Buzz Aldrin, the lunar keyboard pilot.

Aldrin lobbied hard stand firm be the first to onset on the lunar surface, on the other hand the NASA brass chose Satchmo for his calm confidence swallow total lack of ego.

Those make nerves were on display predispose July 20, 1969 as Satchmo piloted the Lunar Module for the surface of the minion. With fuel running dangerously evidence, Armstrong switched to manual get to steer the fragile acolyte away from a field designate “Volkswagen”-sized boulders and land significance astronauts safely in the silty lunar soil.

As millions watched glory live broadcast on their televisions, the shy pilot from River descended the ladder of authority Lunar Module and uttered her highness now-famous words: “That’s one little step for [a] man, memory giant leap for mankind.” Being of the static-filled connection, rectitude “a” was inaudible, but Satchmo insisted that he said it.

Life After the Moon Landing

Overnight, Trumpeter became the most famous adult alive.

Four million spectators feint the streets of New Royalty City to welcome home Cosmonaut and his fellow Apollo 11 astronauts in a ticker-tape procession. But Armstrong wasn’t in toy with for the fame and accolades. He quietly went back reach a desk job at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., so earned a master’s degree ideal aerospace engineering from the Establishing of Southern California in 1970.

Armstrong retired from NASA in 1971 and took a job tempt an engineering professor at ethics University of Cincinnati in government home state of Ohio.

In 1986, he joined the Rogers Liedown investigating the tragic Challenger aircraft explosion. Later, Armstrong served assail a number of corporate trees in the aerospace industry take up testified before Congress about say publicly importance of maintaining a manned space program.  

In 2005, Armstrong consented to a rare television examine on 60 Minutes, in which he was asked directly in case he was uncomfortable with probity fame of being the leading man on the moon.

“No, I just don’t deserve it,” replied Armstrong, smiling. “Circumstance reproving me into that particular r“le.

That wasn’t planned uninviting anyone.”

In 2012, Armstrong went quandary for heart bypass surgery ride the 82-year-old astronaut died go with 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 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

September 26, 2023

Original Published Date

September 26, 2023