Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong created history when he became “the first man to walk on the moon” ("Biography of Neil Armstrong") in 1969. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin, a Russian, became the first man to orbit the earth in 1961, “giving the Soviet Union a big victory in its Cold War space race against the United States” ("Neil Armstrong: First Man on the Moon"). Following this, President Kennedy promised the nation, that “before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth” ("Neil Armstrong: First Man on the Moon"). Thus, Neil Armstrong’s successful lunar landing and return put the Americans way ahead in the “space race” ("Neil Armstrong: First Man on the Moon").
A look into his background will reveal that he had been preparing for this moment throughout his life. Born in Ohio, he became a naval aviator at the age of 19 until 1952. In 1955, he joined National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which later became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). There, he “served as a research pilot, engineer and astronaut for NASA, flying over 200 models of aircraft, rockets, helicopters and gliders, as well as the X-15 rocket plane” (Malik). He was the command pilot on the Gemini 8 mission (1966) and performed “the first successful docking of two vehicles in space” ("Biography of Neil Armstrong"). Eventually, he was appointed as commander of the NASA’s Apollo 11 mission to the moon, and thus, he became the first person “to land a craft on the moon” ("Biography of Neil Armstrong"). Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. (Buzz), descended in the Lunar Module ‘Eagle’ on the Sea of Tranquility of the moon. On July 20, 1969, Neil became the first man to walk on the lunar surface, followed by Aldrin.
People on earth listened with bated breath, when Neil was “manually piloting the ship past an area littered with boulders” ("July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind") before landing Eagle on the moon. Aldrin’s first impression of the moon surface was “magnificent desolation” ("July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind"), where he and Neil stayed “for two and a half hours, collecting samples and taking photographs” ("July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind"). Subsequently, Neil Armstrong held many prestigious positions in NASA and in other aviation-related organizations and institutions. In recognition of his achievement, Neil was awarded by as many as 17 countries, and also, he received many honors. He died in 2012 at the age of 82 leaving behind some “artifacts from moonwalk in a closet” (Gallman and Said-Moorhouse) and the resonating immortal message for all earthlings: “That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" ("July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind").
Works Cited
"Biography of Neil Armstrong." NASA. N.p., 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.
Gallman, Stephanie and Lauren Said-Moorhouse. "Neil Armstrong's Widow Finds Moon Artifacts In Closet". CNN. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
"July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap for Mankind". NASA. N.p., 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
Malik, Tariq. "NASA Remembers Neil Armstrong With 'Tranquility Base' Music Video". Space.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
"Neil Armstrong: First Man on the Moon". Space.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
