Neil Armstrong

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Born on August 5, 1930 in Ohio, Neil Armstrong made history by being the first man to walk on the moon. At an early age, he became fascinated with flight and earned a student's pilot license when he was 16. He attended Purdue University on a Navy scholarship where he studied aeronautical engineering. In 1949, his studies were interrupted as Armstrong was called to serve in the Korean War. During his time in combat, he flew 78 missions as a US Navy fighter pilot. In 1952, he left the service and returned to college. A few years later, he joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) which later became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

In 1969, Armstrong was the commander of NASA's first manned mission to the moon. Astronauts Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin joined him on the mission. At 10:56pm, on July 20,1969, Armstrong exited the Lunar Module on the surface of the moon. He said, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." as he took his famous first steps on the moon. Armstorng and Aldrin spent the next two and one half hours collecting samples and conducting experiments. The entire crew returned safely to earth on July 24, 1969.

Despite being one of the most famous astronauts in history, Armstrong has kept away from the public eye. In 2006, he gave a rare television interview. That same year that his authorized biography came out titled, First Man: The Life of Neil Armstrong written by James R. Hansen.

This is a picture of Neil Armstrong and the Lunar Module "Eagle" after having landing on the moon.