Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong Astronaut Picturewww.nasa.gov“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The person who said this famous quote is Neil Armstrong. Neil was the first man to step foot on the moon, and on this expedition, 2 other astronauts were on Apollo 11. “His fellow astronauts on the voyage would be Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin and Michael Collins. On July 16, 1969, the astronauts lifted off without incident from Cape Kennedy” (Neil Armstrong Contemporary). This was a major event in history, and millions of people were watching this happen. According to Sarah Loff, “An estimated 530 million people watched Armstrong's televised image and heard his voice describe the event as he took ‘...one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind’ on July 20, 1969” (Loff).  Neil was a huge inspiration to everyone, and many people looked up to him. He inspired many people to follow in his footsteps. Going to the moon was not just for fun; it was a huge goal set by the president. “The primary objective of Apollo 11 was to complete a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961”(Loff). This was a major goal, and 8 years later, it was completed. Neil also received many awards and prizes and became the most famous astronaut ever. “Armstrong was decorated by 17 countries. He was the recipient of many special honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the Congressional Gold Medal; the Congressional Space Medal of Honor; the Explorers Club Medal; the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy; the NASA Distinguished Service Medal; the Harmon International Aviation Trophy; the Royal Geographic Society's Gold Medal; the Federation Aeronautique Internationale's Gold Space Medal; the American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award; the Robert J. Collier Trophy; the AIAA Astronautics Award; the Octave Chanute Award; and the John J. Montgomery Award”(Dunbar).  The reason why he achieved the things he did was because of his ambition and how he worked at his goals. Neil was given the opportunity to be the pilot for this skilled mission, because of the years of hard work he put in. Not only was he skillful, he was also a humbling person. Neil Armstrong was one of the most influential and ambitious astronauts of all time. His hard work and ambition led him to be the first person to step foot on the moon. Because of his accomplishments, he is one of the most influential people of the 20th century.

Neil Armstrong’s ambition was shown throughout his whole career and shaped who he became to be. An example of his ambition was how he always was working to get better, and pursued many different careers in his life. “This former test pilot's lunar stroll on July 20, 1969, marked the pinnacle of the most ambitious engineering project ever undertaken. Armstrong went on to pursue a career in aerospace teaching, research, and business”(Purdue Marketing & Media, and Purdue University...). The task of going to the moon took an immense amount of work and dedication. He trained, researched, learned, and got ready for the giant journey ahead of him. Another example of how ambitious Neil Armstrong was, was how much experience and work he put in. “A U.S. Navy pilot, Armstrong flew 78 combat missions during this military conflict. He left the service in 1952, and returned to college”(History.com Staff ). He had plenty of experience and was an outstanding pilot. Neil worked hard in the navy, and even went back to college. On top of all the things he had done in his early to middle years, Neil Armstrong kept working until he had died, which was in 2012 (Neil Armstrong Newsmakers). “Even in his final years, Armstrong remained committed to space exploration. The press-shy astronaut returned to the spotlight in 2010 to express his concerns over changes made to the U.S. space program” (Neil Armstrong Biography). He was still dedicated to space and exploration even when he was 80 years old. This shows how he has worked his whole life, and always pushed to find new things and make new breakthroughs. Overall, Neil Armstrong was an ambitious person and pursued many careers. He worked extremely hard for his whole life, and had plenty of experience which was why he is a great role model.

Neil Armstrong On Moonwww.nasa.govNeil Armstrong was also very influential, since he was the first man ever to walk on the moon. He was a great hero, and did something that was groundbreaking. “‘Neil was among the greatest of American heroes—not just of his time, but of all time,’ Obama said, according to the Los Angeles Times. His Apollo 11 colleague Buzz Aldrin said that ‘I know I am joined by millions of others in mourning the passing of a true American hero and the best pilot I ever knew. My friend Neil took the small step but giant leap that changed the world and will forever be remembered as a landmark moment in human history”’(Neil Armstrong Biography).  He will have a lasting effect on everyone, and made one of the biggest accomplishments in history. Many people look up to him because of what he had done. In addition to his achievement, he also did many things outside of going to the moon. “The space program's impact, however, went far beyond its achievements in space. The increased government spending on the space program, together with the efforts of the talented NASA workers, led to an unprecedented growth in research and technological innovation in many business sectors that continues into the twenty-first century” (Team Effort ). This feat did more than just be a record-breaker, it did much more. The whole space industry and government benefited and grew from this accomplishment. Neil had really done something that was remarkable, and for centuries, people will remember him as a hero. Another reason why he was influential was because he was still making some crucial and amazing achievements, even before going to the moon. “Armstrong transferred to astronaut status in 1962 and was assigned as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Here he presents Purdue President Frederick Hovde a flag that he carried with him on his mission. The Gemini mission was the first successful docking of two crafts and was integral to the success of later missions” (Purdue Marketing & Media, and Purdue University.) This shows how for decades, he had been working and training to become the best of the best. He had already made some amazing achievements, which shows how influential he was. The best astronauts are the ones that are chosen to go on the moon, and he had worked very hard to get to that point. Overall, all of the things that Neil Armstrong did were influential. From going to the moon and to all the other things on top of that, Neil was an honorable hero.

First Step on Moonwww.nasa.govNeil Armstrong was one of the most influential people ever, and his ambition helped him get to that. He was the first man to land on the moon, and also won many awards. He worked a lot and pursued many careers, and was also one of the most skilled pilots ever. Neil Armstrong also inspired many people. He had many traits that pushed him to be his best, and was a great role model. “Armstrong was a humble and reticent man, shunning the spotlight in favor of a quiet retirement in his later years. He always credited the NASA team of 400,000 staff members over the course of a decade for the accomplishment of standing on the moon. But while he preferred to be viewed as "a white-socks, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer"(Neil Armstrong Newsmakers). Neil Armstrong was a very humble and grateful man, and didn’t boast or brag about his accomplishments. He always thanked everyone else for his success, and thought that everyone else was the reason why he did what he did.  This inspired many people to follow in his footsteps, and his humbleness and thankfulness showed how good of a person he was. Neil also had many risky situations, since his job was so dangerous. “His numerous brushes with death did not make him afraid of further travel in space. He once said, ‘I have been in relatively high-risk businesses all of my adult life.... I have confidence in the equipment, the planning, the training’”(Neil Armstrong Contemporary). Neil Armstrong had many life threatening instances where he came very close to death, but he never gave up, and kept pushing forward even though he had some tough experiences. He learned from his mistakes, and used them to make him a better and more skilled pilot. Not giving up and forgetting about the bad things helped him achieve his accomplishment of being the first man to walk on the moon. These traits were the reason why he was so inspirational to everyone, and why he achieved what he did. Neil Armstrong was an influential person and affected many people’s lives. He changed the whole space industry and achieved many great accomplishments outside of being the first man to step on the moon. Overall, he is one of the greatest heroes ever.

Works Consulted:

Dunbar, Brian. “Biography of Neil Armstrong.” NASA, NASA, 10 Mar. 2015, www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/bios/neilabio.html.

History.com Staff. “Neil Armstrong.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2010, www.history.com/topics/neil-armstrong.

Loff, Sarah. “Apollo 11 Mission Overview.” NASA, NASA, 17 Apr. 2015, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo11.html.

“Neil Armstrong.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017, www.biography.com/people/neil-armstrong-9188943.

"Neil Armstrong." Contemporary Heroes and Heroines, vol. 1, Gale, 1990. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1607000015/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=08dbadfd. Accessed 4 May 2018.

"Neil Armstrong." Newsmakers, vol. 3, Gale, 2013. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1618005902/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=495de090. Accessed 7 May 2018.

Purdue Marketing & Media, and Purdue University. “Purdue Remembers Neil Armstrong.” Purdue University, Purdue University, www.purdue.edu/armstrong/.

"Team Effort." American Decades Primary Sources, edited by Cynthia Rose, vol. 7: 1960-1969, Gale, 2004, pp. 111-115. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3490201272/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=67f1ba4b.