Neil A. Armstrong from Wapakoneta, Ohio, was the first man to create world history by walking on the moon on July 20, 1969.
Early Life and Education
He was born on August 5 in the year 1930. At the age of 16 he earned student pilot’s licence. Neil Armstrong did his Bachelor’s in aeronautical engineering at Purdue University. He availed a U.S. Navy scholarship.
Career
From 1949 to 1952 he served in Korean War as a naval aviator. Later in 1955 he joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). He began his career with the NACA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland. He worked as an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator for the aforesaid organisation and its successor agency named National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Later Life and Death
On January 28, 1956 he married Janet Shearon. He had a son named Eric (born in 1957) and a daughter Karen (born in 1959). Unfortunately he faced lots of turmoil in his personal life. His daughter passed away in January 1962. Armstrong divorced his wife in 1994. Later he married Carol. Rest of his life he spent in Indian Hill located at Ohio. Armstrong passed away at the age of 82 on Aug. 25, 2012.
Achievements & Honours
- Neil Armstrong was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco.
- He was a member of the National Commission on Space (1985-1986),
- He became the Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident (1986),
- He was the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Peace Corps (1971-1973).
- He received Fellowship of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Royal Aeronautical Society.
- He became the honorary fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the International Astronautics Federation.
- He became the Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati (1971-1979)
- Armstrong became the chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc (1982-1992)
- He received Presidential Medal of Freedom
- He received Congressional Gold Medal
- He received Congressional Space Medal of Honor
- He received Explorers Club Medal
- He received the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy
- He received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- He received Harmon International Aviation Trophy
- He received Royal Geographic Society’s Gold Medal
- He received Federation Aeronautique Internationale’s Gold Space Medal
- He received American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award
- He received Robert J. Collier Trophy; the AIAA Astronautics Award
- He received Octave Chanute Award
- He received John J. Montgomery Award.