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Neil Armstrong During His Test Pilot Years
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/neil-armstrong-test-pilot.jpgNeil Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in the small Ohio town of Wapakoneta. He flew 78 missions as a U.S. Navy pilot during the Korean War before receiving degrees in aeronautical and aerospace engineering. He then worked as a test pilot, flying experimental aircraft for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, NASA’s forerunner. (NASA)
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Neil Armstrong Boards Gemini 8
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/neil-armstrong-gemini-8.jpgIn 1962 Armstrong joined NASA’s astronaut corps. Several years later, on March 16, 1966, he blasted off for the first time as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. He took part in the first successful docking of two vehicles in space, but stability problems ended the spaceflight early. (NASA)
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Crew of Apollo 11
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/apollo-11-crew.jpgAfter serving as backup commander for the Apollo 8 mission, which successfully orbited the moon in December 1968, Armstrong was on deck to command Apollo 11, the first lunar landing. Astronauts Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin would accompany him on the historic journey. (NASA)
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Apollo 11 Crew Prepares for Launch
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/apollo-11-launch.jpgApollo 11 blasted off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969. Millions of people remained glued to their television screens as Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin raced into space, eight years after John F. Kennedy set the goal of landing a man on the moon “before this decade is out.” (NASA)
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Apollo 11’s Lunar Module in Lunar Orbit
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/apollo-11-lunar-module.jpgOn July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin entered the lunar module, leaving Collins behind in the command module, and began their descent to the moon. Touching down on the lunar surface, Armstrong said, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” (NASA)
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Neil Armstrong Walks on the Moon
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/armstrong-on-the-moon.jpgSix and a half hours after the landing, Armstrong climbed down the lunar module’s ladder and set foot on the moon. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” he famously announced. (NASA)
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Neil Armstrong After His Moonwalk
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/armstrong-after-moonwalk.jpgArmstrong and Aldrin would spend several hours exploring the powdery lunar surface, where they planted an American flag, left a plaque and collected soil samples. (NASA)
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Nixon Welcomes Apollo 11 Crew Home
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/apollo-11-crew-quarantine.jpgOn July 24, Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Quarantined for three weeks due to concerns about infectious lunar agents, they were greeted by President Richard Nixon and celebrated the world over. (NASA)
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Armstrong Receives the Congressional Space Medal of Honor
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/neil-armstrong-award.jpgArmstrong did not return to space after the Apollo 11 mission. He left NASA in 1971 and taught aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati. The recipient of numerous awards, he was granted the first Congressional Space Medal of Honor by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. (NASA)
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Official Portrait of Neil Armstrong
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/armstrong-official-portrait.jpgArmstrong spent his later years giving speeches and serving on the board of several corporations, though he largely avoided the spotlight. In 2010 he publicly advocated for the continuation of an active U.S. space program. He died on August 25, 2012, several weeks after undergoing heart surgery. Armstrong’s second wife, Carol, and his children, Eric and Mark, survive him. (NASA)
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