Neil Alden Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He has a degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University. He also has a masters degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. From the year 1949 to 1952, Armstrong was a naval aviator. Upon leaving military service, he became a test pilot. While he was being a test pilot he was chosen to be a member of the astronaut corps. He was on the backup crew of many previous flights. His first space flight occurred in 1966 aboard Gemini 8. During this flight, he and another astronaut David Scott. They successfully performed the first docking in space between two vehicles. In July of 1969, Neil Armstrong was the commander of Apollo 11. America's first attempt to land a vehicle on the Moon. On July 20, 1969 Commander Neil Armstrong and fellow astronaut Edwin Aldrin successfully touched down on the lunar surface. Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon, he spoke the unforgettable phrase, "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind". He and Aldrin explored the Moon's surface for 2.5 hours. Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his accomplishments and his contributions to the space program.