Neil Alden Armstrong
From boy to the Moon By: Collin Noon
Intro
"One small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind." Just seconds before, Neil Armstrong climbed down the Apollo 11's ladder to be the first man on the moon.That was an important event in American and mankind history.
Early Life Picture
Neil was born on August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He was the oldest with a younger sister named June, and a brother named Dean. Also, his mom's name was Viola, and his dad's was Stephen. When he was little, he was always fascinated by planes. He was also in a Boy Scout troop for years, and later became an Eagle Scout.
Middle Life Picture
Neil went to Purdue University in Indiana on a Navy scholarship and earned a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering. When Neil was 26, he married Janet Sharon, they moved to Nellis Air Force Base, he became a test pilot, they started a family, Neil flew planes, and finally applied to be an astronaut. The same day Sputnik was launched, and the space race began. The goal was the moon. On Sept. 17, 1962, nine men were chosen as astronauts, Neil Armstrong was one of them, and suddenly famous. On the morning before Neil went into space, they had the same breakfast all astronauts had before a flight - steak and eggs. Charles Lindbergh arrived for dinner to wish them luck the night before.
Later Life Picture
Neil got many special honors, flew over 200 different aircraft, and was a professor at the University of Cincinnati. He was a Chairman of Computing Technology for Aviation Inc.; was a Vice Chairman of the presidential Commission on the Challenger accident, and was a member of two Academies.
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." -Neil Alden Armstrong
Other Fun Facts
- Because of his dad working in the state government, he had to move 16 times before he was 13!
- The first plane Neil rode in when he was six, was named the Tin Goose.
- Neil Armstrong has a crater on the Moon named after him.
- He was on the moon for only two hours.
- Neil's barber sold some of his hair to a collector for $3,000.
- He played a very strange musical instrument: the baritone horn.