Born Wapakoneta, Ohio, August 5, 1930. Aeronautical
engineer, Naval Aviator, Korean war veteran. NASA test
pilot 1955, flying the famed X-15 over 200,000 feet and
4,000 MPH. Designated astronaut 1962, the first civilian
to be so selected.
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind".
With these historic words, man's dream of the ages -- to go
to the moon -- is fulfilled, and the commander of the gallant
Apollo XI crew, Neil Armstrong, set foot on the cold surface
of the moon. No event in history so captured the interest of
all men, and through the very technology which took the
spacecraft over the dark reaches of space to the distant planet,
we were all witness to the dream of the event as it took place.
Only his superb skill as a pilot and astronaut guided the "Eagle"
to a safe landing on the moon when it became essential in the
final descent phase to manually control the vehicle to avoid
landing in a rough crater.
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