Neil A. Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong was a naval aviator, engineer, test pilot, and the first person to walk on the Moon. Born in Ohio, he developed an early fascination with flight, earned his pilot's license before his driver's license, and studied aeronautical engineering at Purdue University. He served as a Navy pilot during the Korean War before becoming a civilian research pilot, flying high-performance aircraft including the X-15.
- Born
- August 5, 1930
- Died
- August 25, 2012
- Birthplace
- Wapakoneta, Ohio,United States
Flights
2
Spacewalks
1
EVA time
2 hours, 31 minutes
In space
8 days, 14 hours, 12 minutes
Bio
NASA selected Armstrong in Astronaut Group 2 in 1962. He commanded Gemini 8 with David Scott, achieving the first successful docking of two spacecraft in orbit before a stuck thruster forced an emergency return. The calm response helped define Armstrong's reputation as a pilot who could manage danger without theatrics.
In 1969, Armstrong commanded Apollo 11 with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. After manually guiding the lunar module Eagle past hazards in the Sea of Tranquility, he became the first human being to step onto another world. The achievement made him globally famous, but Armstrong remained notably private after leaving NASA. He later taught aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati and served on major aerospace accident investigations, including the Rogers Commission after Challenger.