Biographical Note

Neil Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He received his BS degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University in 1955, later earning an MS in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. Armstrong served as a naval aviator from 1949-1952.

He joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA; later National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA) in 1955, serving at High-Speed Flight Station as an aeronautical research scientist and as a pilot until 1962, when he became an astronaut. While Armstrong is best known for being the first person to set foot on the moon, he was also active in piloting and engineering aspects of other projects, such as the X-15 hypersonic rocket plan program. Armstrong left the astronaut corps in 1969 to serve as deputy associate administrator for Aeronautics at NASA Headquarters until 1971. He served as an engineering professor at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio from 1971 until 1979, becoming chairman for various technology companies until 2000, including Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc., Eaton Corp., AIL Systems Inc., and EDO Corp. Simultaneously, Armstrong served on the National Commission on Space from 1985-1986 and acted as vice-chairman of the space shuttle Challenger disaster investigation committee in 1986.

Armstrong has received many honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1969; the Robert J. Collier Trophy, 1969; the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy, 1970; the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, 1978; and decorations from 17 countries.

Armstrong died on August 25, 2012, at the age of 82.

External Sources:

"Neil A. Armstrong," NASA, https://www.nasa.gov/people/neil-a-armstrong/, accessed June 5, 2024.

"Neil Armstrong," Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Neil-Armstrong, accessed June 5, 2024.

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