Neil Armstrong, an American astronaut, military pilot, and university professor, the first man in history to set foot on the surface of the moon, participated in the Korean War in 1951, and after completing his university studies in 1955, he joined the American Space Agency (NASA) - which was then called the Commission National Advisory Agency for Aeronautics (NACA)- Research Pilot at Lewis Laboratory in California.

After that, he joined the astronaut program in 1962, and was a pioneer pilot in his first mission in the Gemini VIII program in 1966. He was the commander of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, the first manned mission to the moon, and he was Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.

Birth and upbringing

Neil Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio, USA.

He is the eldest of 3 children of Viola Louise Engel and Stephen Coing Armstrong, who are of Scottish and German descent, and his father was an auditor in a government job.

Armstrong's passion for flying grew when he took his first flight with his father in a Ford Trimotor when he was six years old.

Neil was active in the Boy Scouts of America and attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest attainable rank.

He became a licensed pilot on his 16th birthday, and a year later became a cadet in the Naval Air Force in 1947, after attending Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, on a scholarship to the US Navy to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering.

Scientific study and training

Armstrong completed his undergraduate studies with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, in 1955, and immediately became a civilian research pilot for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which later became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). over the course of 17 years.

His first assignment was with the NACA Lewis Research Center, now called the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

Years later, Neil Armstrong also received a Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1970. In addition to being awarded an honorary doctorate from a number of universities.

Armstrong was a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Royal Aeronautical Society, and an Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the International Astronautics Federation.

Also, he was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco.

Military service

Armstrong was called up for active service in the US Navy in 1949. After that, his studies in aeronautical engineering were interrupted in 1950 due to his participation in the Korean War, during which his plane was shot down once and he won 3 air medals.

During his long flying career, Armstrong's record includes more than 200 different sorties over 1,100 hours, from gliders to helicopters to jets, and he has tested many supersonic fighters, as well as the X-15 missile plane, which It can reach a maximum speed of 4 thousand miles per hour.

In 1962, Armstrong moved with his family to Houston, Texas, and joined the NASA astronaut program with the second group of astronauts.

On March 16, 1966, Armstrong, who served as command pilot on his first mission for the "Gemini 8" flight, was accompanied by fellow astronaut David R. Scott on a date with the "Agena" unmanned rocket, and they performed the first manual maneuver to dock in space. .

After docking, a thruster failure caused the spacecraft to spin uncontrollably and forced it to separate from the Agena.

Armstrong regained control of the "Gemini 8" vehicle, after he had to operate the control re-entry system, and then return at the earliest opportunity, as they made a sudden landing in the Pacific Ocean about 11 hours after the start of the mission, and they were rescued by the US aircraft carrier. USS Mason.

Moon landing

After the "Gemini 8" mission, Armstrong faced an even greater challenge in 1969 with the Apollo 11 mission. When the Apollo 11 crew members were announced in January 1969, the head of the NASA Astronaut Office, Donald Kent Slayton, selected an all-veteran team of Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins, with Armstrong chosen to lead the mission.

This challenge was part of NASA's first manned mission to the Moon.

The trio were sent into space on July 16, 1969. Armstrong was named mission commander, and his responsibilities included piloting the lunar module to the lunar surface on July 20, 1969, along with Aldrin, the pilot of the lunar module "Eagle."

Collins remained in the Columbia command unit.

At ten o'clock and 56 minutes at night, Armstrong exited the lunar module, took his first step on the surface of the moon and said, "This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." After this famous step, he remained on the surface of the moon for about two and a half hours. Experiments.

They also took pictures, including their footprints as well as the planting of the American flag, as well as talking some time with the US President at the time, Richard Nixon.

After returning from the spaceflight on July 24, 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft descended into the Pacific Ocean, west of Hawaii.

The crew and the vehicle were picked up by the USS Hornet, and the three astronauts were quarantined for 3 weeks, after which they were welcomed on a tour that included 21 countries, given their great role in opening an era. A new human exploration of the universe.

Other contributions

Armstrong continued his mission with NASA, where he held the position of Assistant Deputy Director for Aeronautics until 1971, after which he resigned from his position and joined the faculty at the University of Cincinnati as a professor of aeronautical engineering.

Armstrong remained at the university for 8 years and remained active in his field. He also served as chairman or director of a number of companies, including Computing Technologies for Aviation from 1982 to 1992 and AIL. AIL Systems, which later became Corporation EDO, a manufacturer of electronic equipment for the Army, from 1977 until his retirement in 2002.

He also served as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee to the Peace Corps from 1971-1973, and served on the National Commission on Space (NCOS) (1985-1986), a committee tasked with setting goals for the space program.

In 1986, while serving as vice chairman of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident, Armstrong assisted in the commission's investigation to analyze safety failures in the January 28, 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger accident, which resulted in the death of the crew. All of it, which consisted of 7 people.

Decorations and coronations

Armstrong has been honored by 17 countries, receiving numerous special honours, including:

  • Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969.

  • Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978.

  • Congressional Gold Medal in 2009.

  • Explorers Club Medal.

  • As Robert Hutchings Goddard Memorial.

  • NASA Distinguished Service Medal.

  • Harmon International Aviation Trophy.

  • Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society.

  • Gold Medal of the International Aeronautical Federation.

  • Flying Achievement Award from the American Astronautical Society.

  • Robert J Collier Cup.

marriage

Armstrong married Janet Sherron on January 28, 1956. They had their first son, Eric, in 1957, and their daughter, Karen, in 1959, who died of complications related to a brain tumor in January 1962. The following year, their third child, Mark, was born.

After a 36-year marital journey, Armstrong separated from his first wife in 1994, and spent his final years with his second wife, Carol Held Knight, in Indian Hill, Ohio.

Death

Armstrong died on August 25, 2012, at the age of 82, as a result of complications from coronary heart surgery he had undergone at a hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, two weeks before his death.

The news of Armstrong's death quickly spread around the world.

Former US President Barack Obama was among those who paid tribute to the late astronaut, declaring that "Neil was among the greatest American heroes, not only of his time, but of all time."

His friend Edwin E. Buzz Aldrin said, "I know I have joined millions of others in mourning the death of a true American hero, and the best pilot I have ever known. My friend Neil took a small step but it was a giant leap that changed the world and will be remembered forever. A landmark moment in history." Humanity".