Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong was born in 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. From age six, he
was interested in flying. When he was fifteen, he took flying lessons,
earning the money for the lessons himself. Neil received his pilot's
license before he got his driver's license. At nineteen, he enlisted in the
Navy. In the Korean War, he flew seventy-eight combat missions and eluded
death twice. After the war, Neil graduated from Purdue with a bachelor's in
Aeronautical Engineering. Later he received a master's in Aerospace
Engineering.
Neil Armstrong became a test pilot for NASA. He was the command pilot of
Gemini 8 in 1966. Neil Armstrong, "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins were
chosen to fly Apollo 11 to the moon. Neil Armstrong had the privilege of
being the first human ever to set foot on another world.
A plaque was placed on the moon, reading, "We came in peace for all of
mankind." While Michael Collins stayed in the spacecraft, Buzz and Neil
played on and collected samples of the moon's surface. The event was
televised and many pictures of the Earth and the moon's landscape were taken.
After the three astronauts came home, there were great celebrations all over
the world. Neil Armstrong received the Medal of Freedom, the Congressional
Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Distinguished Service Award, the NASA
Exceptional Service Award, and seventeen other medals from countries around
the word.
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