ASTRONAUT LEGEND- NEIL ARMSTRONG
NEIL ALDEN ARMSTRONG was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon. He was also a naval pilot, test pilot, and university professor.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION
Neil Armstrong was born and brought up in Wapakoneta, Ohio, USA.
He developed a passion for aviation and flying at a young age, earning his pilot’s license before he could drive a car.
At the age of 17, he studied Aeronautical engineering at Purdue University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree.
In 1962, Armstrong joined the space program with its second group of astronauts.
MOON PERCH
On July 16, 1969, Armstrong, along with Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., and Michael Collins, sets off in the Apollo 11 vehicle towards the Moon. Four days later, at 16:17 hours U.S. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), the eagle lunar landing module, guided manually by Armstrong, touched down on a plain near the south-western edge of the Sea of Tranquillity. At 10:56 PM EDT on July 20, 1969, Armstrong stepped from the eagle onto the Moon’s dusty surface. Armstrong and Aldrin explored the moon for 2+ hours, taking photos, collecting samples, and deploying scientific instruments.
On July 21, after 21 hours and 36 minutes on the Moon, they lifted off to rendezvous with Collins and begin the journey back to Earth. After splashdown in the Pacific at 12:51 PM EDT on July 24, the three astronauts spent 18 days in quarantine to guard against possible contamination by lunar microbes. During the days that followed, and during a tour of 21 nations, I hailed them for their part in the opening of a new era in human exploration of the universe.
TOPNOTCH ACHIEVEMENTS
1. Armstrong was awarded with awards such as:
2. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969Congressional Space Medal of Honor
3. The Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978NASA Distinguished Service Medal
The Congressional Gold Medal in 2009.
4. NASA Exceptional Service Medal
LIFE AFTER APOLLO 11
After the successful landing of the Apollo 11 program, he became a public figure for the whole world. He was the first person to set his footprint on the beautiful surface of the moon. In 1971, he resigned from NASA and dedicated himself to academic and professional endeavors.
For 9 years, he was a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati. After 1979, he served as a director for several companies, among them Computing Technologies for Aviation from 1982 to 1992 and AIL Systems, and later on EDO Corporation. He also served on the National Commission on Space (NCOS).
This dominant personality perished on the 25th of August, 2012. Hope his dream and his vision will motivate every space enthusiast and every astronaut.
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” — Neil Armstrong
