Neil Armstrong (first person to both land and walk on the moon.)

Neil     Armstrong   (1930   –      2012) was    an American          astronaut  – who   gained    the distinction of      being the        first  person     to both land and walk on the moon.

“Thats    one    small    step    for [a]  man,  one giant leap for mankind.”

– Neil Armstrong (21 July 1969)

Early life Neil Armstrong

Armstrong  was       born      5 August   1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio,  US.   He attended Blue High School and took flying lessons while still a  student; by the  time he was    16, he had gained his flight certificate. Aged 17, he    studied  aeronautical     engineering     at Purdue University, turning down a chance to  study    at MIT.  His     studies  were partly financed    by the     US Navy    and,  after     his first   two     years, he   was  called up   to   the Navy for flight training, where he qualified to be a naval aviator.

In 1951, he  was  sent    to  the   Korean  War where   he        took  part   in         active      service, including an emergency ejection after his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire. He flew 78      missions                    during   the    Korean War before returning    to  Purdue  to      finish   his degree.

In     1955,    he  graduated      with       a  B.A.         in aeronautical                        engineering.                           After graduation,   he   applied to  be  a      test pilot for NACA – the High-Speed Flight Station, at Edwards Air Force Base.  This involved testing  new      high-speed  aircraft   for     the US military. This included pioneering new rocket planes,  such   as  the  Bell X-1B and North American X-14.

As a test pilot, Armstrong became known for            his                       natural         flying        ability    and willingness to  take risks –  stretching the boundaries   of           what   was  possible.     He was     also  one   of     the     most       technically capable engineers.

In   1958, he  was    selected for the    US    Air Forces               Man                         in       Space            Soonest programme. Later,  in 1962,    he  was  later selected   for the  Apollo program –  which aimed to put a man  in space and land on the    moon.  In   J.F.     Kennedys  address    to Congress       of  25   May   1961,      he had   put landing on       the moon    as   a primary  goal for America.

“Landing         a   man on      the          Moon                and returning him safely to the Earth – by the end of the 1960s.”

The space project was  also infused   with Cold   War   symbolism   with    an    unofficial space  race       taking  place  with   Americas ideological        enemy   –    the   Soviet    Union. After the   Soviets became the   first to  put a  man in  space,  there   was   even  greater pressure   for   America to win the  prize  of putting a   man on  the moon.    On the 40th anniversary         of      the             Apollo           Mission, Armstrong    said that the moon race   was a        helpful    diversion          from                Cold     War tensions.

“Ill    not    assert  that         it        was   a   diversion which prevented a  war, but nevertheless, it was a diversion.” (2009)

In the early 1960s, Armstrong took part in Project   Gemini      –         flying   spacecraft      in long-duration     space-flight.        This            gave NASA                 and     Armstrong                                 valuable experience    for        the            more            ambitious targets of the Apollo missions.

In                December           1968, Armstrong      was chosen to be    the   commander  for Apollo 11,     which  would    be the   first                planned mission   to    dock  and  land on  the   moon. Armstrong  was chosen   to be       the          first person who would have the distinction of walking         on the   moon.         Some     suggest NASA                 chose   Armstrong    because     he didnt have a large ego.

“It suddenly struck  me  that that  tiny pea, pretty    and  blue,  was   the   Earth.  I   put  up my            thumb    and       shut  one   eye,  and my thumb     blotted out         the    planet       Earth.    I didnt  feel        like     a     giant.    I felt      very,  very small.”

― Neil Armstrong

His  fellow   crew    members  were Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin.

The Apollo 11 launch was a success, and after         a                   tricky      descent,          Armstrong manually landed the lunar module on     20 July  1969.     Armstrong   said      later    that it was   the  lunar      landing,       which  was      the trickiest part of the trip.

“The  landing  approach    was,      by  far,    the most difficult and challenging part  of the flight.”

After checking   fuel and other  checklists, Armstrong    got        ready   to  leave the  craft and  walk  on the moon. He left the Apollo Lunar             module    and  touched   the   moon surface at  2.56   UTC   21        July    1969.    On taking     the   first     steps  on   the    moon,    he said the famous words:

“Thats   one     small step      for  [a]   man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Armstrong later said        he       never planned the   words   in  advance;      one    reason was that  they were never certain   of  success. He felt    there was   only      a 50% chance  of making  a    successful   moon   landing.  He later said:

“I              was elated,    ecstatic    and   extremely surprised that we were successful”

The  words   and  pictures were  broadcast on radio and    made headlines  across the world.     In a telephone    interview     with  US President Richard   Nixon, Neil  Armstrong spoke of the mission

Its a great  honor     and  privilege   for    us to be    here representing not  only  the United States  but      men   of  peace  of  all  nations, and  with  interests and    the   curiosity and with the vision for the future. Its an honor for   us     to     be                able   to   participate here today.

On  their return to the US, they  were fêted as heroes  and embarked   on  tours of the US and the world. This included a vista to the Soviet Union in May 1970.

When  asked     about    the    moon           project, Armstrong   was       always                  proud of  his contribution. He said

“I think were going  to the  moon   because its in      the  nature    of  the  human   being  to face challenges.   Its by  the nature  of     his deep   inner   soul     …    were   required    to   do these   things        just   as      salmon                     swim upstream.”

Apollo                       mission            press        conference (1969)

After the Apollo flight,  Armstrong    retired from  space    missions     and     accepted       a teaching            position  at the       University     of Cincinnati.      He            also         served                       as     a spokesperson     for        several     businesses, including   advertising  campaigns for      US car    producer   Chrysler.        Armstrong  also served         on               crash                                     investigation commissions     which       looked    at    aircraft disasters, such as Challenger.

Armstrong    married  his    first   wife     Janet Jearon   in   1956; they had    three children. They divorced after 38 years of marriage. In 1994, he remarried Carol Knight.

Armstrong       remained     without         political affiliation, though  he   declared  himself in favour of state rights, and against the US acting as the worlds policeman. He didnt have a religious   affiliation    but described himself as a deist.

Many friends speak highly of Armstrongs character                saying         he    had       a      natural humility  and              was       careful            to         avoid boosting of  his  unique role.     John  Glenn, the first American, to orbit  the Earth  said of Armstrong.

“He was a  humble person,   and thats   the way he  remained after his lunar flight, as well as before.”

Armstrong died on 25 August 2012, aged 82 from coronary complications.