R M S T R

A O
L

N
I
NE

G
 WHO IS IT

He was an American
astronaut and the first
human being to set foot
on the lunar surface. He
was also an aerospace
engineer, fighter pilot, test
pilot, and university
professor
 FIRST FLIGHT

He joined NASA's astronaut corps in

the space agency's second group.
He made his first spaceflight as
commander of Gemini 8 in March,
becoming the first civilian
astronaut to fly into space
 LAST FLIGHT
Armstrong's second and final spaceflight
was as commander of the Apollo 11
mission, the first manned moon landing.
During training for the mission, it was
forced to eject from a lunar landing
research vehicle seconds before crashing.
 WHEN THEY
DESCENDED TO THE
MOON
In July, Armstrong and lunar module pilot
Buzz Aldrin descended to the surface of the
Moon and walked on it for two and a half
hours while Michael Collins waited for them
orbiting in the command and service
module.
 AWARDS
All three astronauts were awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom by President
Richard Nixon. President Jimmy Carter
awarded him the Congressional Space
Medal of Honor and presented him with the
U.S. Congressional Gold Medal.
 AFTER NASA

After leaving NASA, he accepted a

teaching position in the Department
of Aerospace Engineering at the
University of Cincinnati, where he
taught
SERVICE IN THE NAVY

Armstrong was called up at the age of

eighteen on January 26 by the Navy. He
entered Pensacola Air Force Base to begin pilot
training. After passing medical tests, he
entered the Navy as a midshipman on
February 24
 FIRST COMBAT

Neil Armstrong first saw combat in the Korean

War on August 29 while escorting a
reconnaissance plane that flew over Sŏngjin
 TEST PILOT

After graduating from Purdue, Armstrong

decided to become a test pilot. He presented
himself at the National Advisory Committee
for Aeronautics (NACA) High-Speed Flight
Station at Edwards Air Force Base.
 FLIGHT TO THE MOON

During the launch of Apollo 11 into space,

Armstrong's heart reached a rate of one hundred
and ten beats per minute. The astronaut found
the first stage to be very noisy, much louder than
the liftoff of Gemini 8 with the Titan II rocket.