Neil Armstrong showed bravery during his
time serving during war and as an astronaut. At the time Neil Armstrong was at
Purdue University he got drafted to fight in the Korean War; where he used his
knowledge of flying. "Armstrong
flew jet fighters for the navy from 1949 to 1952, flying 78 combat missions
from the aircraft Essex during the Korean War" (Van
Riper). By risking his life to fight for his country, Armstrong showed a
true act of bravery. Having done so 78 times, he shows the ultimate amount of
courage. In 1962 Neil Armstrong received
astronaut status, and later he was granted commander of the Apollo 11. "Armstrong and Buzz
Aldrin landed the Apollo 11 lunar modules Eagle on the moon. Armstrong, the
mission commander, left the module and explored the lunar surface."(Dunbar). Armstrong
proved his bravery when he took his first steps on the moon because no one knew
what to expect. He risked his life trying something new and dangerous for his
country which shows he has the courage for something greater than him.
Armstrong proved his bravery during his time fighting in the war over 78 times
and while attempting something no man has done before.
Neil Armstrong was very passionate about flying and his love of
planes. According to the interview, First Man ,"He got his
pilots license at the age of 16; before he learned to drive and by the time he
was 21 he was flying combat planes over Korea". His
passion about planes led him to become an expert in flying which he used in the
Korean War. Without his determination from an early age, Armstrong would not
have been able to have achieved the achievements he holds today. "A
serious pilot even at his age, Armstrong built a small wind tunnel in his
basement of his home and performed experiments on the model planes he made"
(Neil Armstrong). His passion was very strong because of how young he
started, this allowed him to do great thing as he got older like become an
astronaut. His knowledge on planes helped him throughout his career like his
studies and flights of combat planes. Neil Armstrong's passion grew from when
he was only six years old and led on throughout his adulthood allowing him to
do great things.
Neil Armstrong had many accomplishments throughout his life about
flying. Brian Dunbar stated that, "Over
the next 17 years, he was an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator
for NACA and its successor agency, the national aeronautics and space
administration (NASA)." Neil
Armstrong went from one title to the next. His ability to have accomplishments
means that one could tell stories about his titles and jobs. Throughout his
life he earned many titles or accomplishments by working hard and loving what
he did. James Hansen quoted that, "Armstrong
was a civilian test pilot assigned to test the x-15 rocket airplane before
becoming an astronaut in 1962. He made his first space flight in 1966 on Gemini
8 with David R. Scott. The two men performed the first successful docking of
two vehicles in space- the Gemini 8 and an uninhabited Agena rocket." Before becoming an
astronaut Armstrong was a test pilot for many kinds of military planes. He did
much more than walk on the moon, most people don't recognize his efforts during the Korean war or his
great assistance to NASA. Throughout his
years, Armstrong was involved with many jobs relating to flying or NASA where
he succeeded and was given much credit to.
Bravery, Passion and accomplishments are what a true hero needs, such as Neil Armstrong. His bravery during the most terrifying missions was truly inspiring and his passion for flying was incredible because it started at such a young age and helped his achieve many great accomplishments. Neil Armstrong was an inspiration to me because he did many great things such as walk on the moon and now I believe someday I will be able to do something as great as he did. His passion about what he loved made me believe that if continue to do what I love then someday I will be successful at it and do something great.
Work Cited
Hansen, James R. "Armstrong, Neil Alden." World
Book Advanced. World
Book, 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
"Neil Alden Armstrong." Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2004.
304-306. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
Van Riper, A. Bowdoin. "Neil Alden Armstrong." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and
Josh Lauer. Vol. 7: 1950 to Present. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 46-47. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
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Last edited 4/19/2014 12:00:00 AM
