Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong is one of the most successful and accomplished people in the world. Some of his many accomplishments are having over 2,000 flight hours under his belt as a Naval Aviator in the Korean War. Many of his lesser known feats include being a research pilot for NASA at Edwards Air Force base. One of the planes he flew was the legendary 4,000 mph x-15. But his most commonly known and praised feat is being the first man in history to step foot on the moon’s barren surface.

Neil was born on a farm on August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. But in his young life, he moved around the state a lot. They finally settled back in Wapakoneta in 1944. Neil had many jobs around town as a kid but mostly at the local airport because of his staggering interest in aviation. Once Neil was 15 he began flying lessons and was awarded a pilots license for his 16th birthday.

As you could have guessed, Neil pursued a degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University under the Holloway plan which sent recipients to university for their bachelors degree, then 3 years of Naval service, then back to university for 2 years to retrieve their master’s degree. In Neil’s case he was sent to Southern California to get his Masters in Aeronautical Engineering. Although most people would commend Neil on his flying abilities, other well known aviators such as Chuck Yeager would say that his “Flying style is too robotic and that real skill in the cockpit is natural.”

After he received his masters he decided to rejoin the Navy. After his service in the Navy, he was recruited into the astronaut corps. Neil’s first space flight was in 1966 aboard the Gemini 8 mission. On this mission he and fellow astronaut, David Scott, performed the first ever successful docking of two vehicles in space.

Just three years later in 1969, he and Edwin Aldrin would be aboard the Apollo 11 mission to send a manned vehicle to the barren surface of the moon. This is where Neil Armstrong would say bis famous line, “This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Following those heroic words, he and Edwin began to explore the surface of the moon for two and a half hours before returning home. Upon returning home to Earth Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his accomplishments and contributions to the space program.