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Neil Alden Armstrong (born August 5, 1930) is a
former United States|American test pilot and
astronaut who was the first man to walk on the
Moon.

Armstrong was born near Wapakoneta,
Ohio|Wapakoneta, Ohio and served in the Korean
War. In 1950, he was sent to Korea where he flew
78 combat missions from USS Essex (CV-9)|USS Essex
in a Grumman F9F Panther|F9F-2 Panther. He
received the Air Medal and two Gold Stars.  He
attended Purdue University where he was a member
of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and Kappa Kappa Psi
National Honorary Band Fraternity, and received a
Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical
Engineering in 1955. He later earned a masters
degree in aerospace engineering from the
University of Southern California. 

Armstrong then became a civilian test pilot for
the National Advisory Committee for
Aeronautics|NACA (the predecessor to NASA) at the
Dryden Flight Research Center|High-Speed Flight
Station at Edwards Air Force Base, California. 
Armstrong made a total of seven flights in the
North American X-15, reaching an altitude of
207,500 feet in the X-15-3 and a speed of Mach
5.74 (3,989 mph) in the X-15-1. He left the Flight
Research Center with a total of 2,450 flying hours
in more than 50 types of aircraft.

From 1960 to 1962 he was a pilot involved in the
X-20 Dyna-Soar orbital glider program. 

== Career as an astronaut ==
Armstrong was selected by NASA as an astronaut in
1962. He served as the backup command pilot for
the Gemini 5 mission in 1965.

He commanded Gemini 8, which achieved the first
docking of two orbiting spacecraft, in 1966, but
aborted shortly after docking, because of
malfunctioning maneuvering thrusters. He was the
backup command pilot for the Gemini 11 mission in
1966.  He also served as commander of the backup
crew for the Apollo 8 lunar orbital mission in
1968.

Armstrong narrowly escaped death during training
in the crash of a lunar landing research vehicle
(LLRV) on May 6, 1969 (see List of space
disasters.) 

In July, 1969, Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11
lunar landing mission, which included lunar module
pilot Buzz Aldrin|Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and command
module pilot Michael Collins (astronaut)|Michael
Collins.

The Apollo 11 mission was launched from Cape
Kennedy, Florida on July 16, 1969. The moon
landing, arguably the most astonishing
technological achievement in history, took place
on July 20, 1969.  During the actual lunar
landing, Armstrong took manual control of the
Lunar Module (LM) Eagle and piloted it away from a
rocky area to a safe landing. His first words from
the Moon were: "Houston, Tranquility Base here.
The Eagle has landed." (The first words on the
moon, "Contact light", were spoken by Buzz
Aldrin). Several hours later he climbed out of the
LM and became the List of lunar astronauts|first
person to walk on the Moon and said:


:"That's one small step for man, one giant leap
for mankind."  
:(Media:Neil Armstrong small step.wav|hear
original audio, in WAV|WAV audio format)

As spoken, the famous phrase poses a
contradiction, as man and mankind are synonyms. 
Armstrong and NASA defended the original intent to
say "...for a man...", variously claiming tape
errors, static, and the like.  However, the
original recording lacks ambiguity at the critical
moment. Despite static both before and after the
key phrase, the words "for man", with scarcely a
pause between, are clearly audible.  Armstrong
later admitted that, despite planning and
rehearsal, the line was spoken incorrectly.

The Apollo 11 crew returned safely to earth on
July 24, 1969 to worldwide acclaim.

== Follow-on career ==
Armstrong joined the faculty of the University of
Cincinnati in 1971, and remained there as a
professor of aerospace engineering until 1979. He
was named vice chairman of the presidential
commission that investigated the explosion of the
STS-51-L|Challenger space shuttle. 

Armstrong served as chairman of AIL Technologies,
an electronics and avionics manufacturer, from
1989 until he retired in 2002. He has kept a low
profile during his retirement, rarely giving
interviews or making public appearances. He lives
in a suburb outside of Cincinnati.

== Trivia ==
* At Hollywood and Vine a special "round star"
commemorates Armstong and his fellow Apollo 11
crewmates.
* In May 2005, Armstrong became involved in an
unusual legal battle with barber Marx Sizemore of
Lebanon, Ohio.  After cutting Armstrong's hair,
Sizemore sold some of it to a collector for $3,000
without Armstrong's knowledge or consent. 
Armstrong threatened legal action unless the
barber returned the hair or donated the proceeds
to a charity of Armstrong's choosing.
http://wcbs880.com/connnews/CT--AstronautsHair-mn/
resources_news_html  
* There is a Armstrong (crater)|small lunar crater
named in his honor near the Apollo 11 landing
site.
* Although the Omega_Watches|Omega SpeedMaster was
the first wristwatch to be worn on Moon, it was
not Armstrong who wore it; the digital clock on
the Lunar Module had malfunctioned, so he left his
watch on the module to tell time. It was Buzz
Aldrin who made the Omega SpeedMaster the first
watch on Moon.

==External links==
*
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/armstrong-na
.html  Official NASA Biography
* http://www.ohiohistory.org/places/armstron/ 
Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum
*
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/02/03/loc_ar
mstrong03.html 2003 Armstrong Interview
*
http://www.cincypost.com/2003/03/27/wecker032703.h
tml Article on Armstrong's Autobiography 
*
http://www.cincinnati.com/visitorsguide/stories/01
2800_moon.html Article on opening of Armstrong
Museum
* http://www.snopes.com/quotes/onesmall.asp
Discussion of the "small step" quote phrasing
*http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8062442/ Dispute over
sale of Armstrong's hair clippings
*http://www.npr.org/programs/npc/2000/000222.narms
trong.html National Press Club Audio and
transcript from 2000 appearance.
*http://www.edocorp.com/pr2002/02r0208.htm AIL/EDO
Press Release announcement of Armstrong's private
sector retirement in 2002