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Archives at The Museum of Flight


Armstrong, Neil, 1930-2012

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1930 - 2012

Biographical Note

Neil A. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930. He began his NASA career in Ohio.

After serving as a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1955. His first assignment was with the NACA Lewis Research Center (now NASA Glenn) in Cleveland. Over the next 17 years, he was an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator for NACA and its successor agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

As a research pilot at NASA's Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., he was a project pilot on many pioneering high speed aircraft, including the well known, 4000-mph X-15. He has flown over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders.

Armstrong transferred to astronaut status in 1962. He was assigned as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Gemini 8 was launched on March 16, 1966, and Armstrong performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space.

As spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission, Armstrong gained the distinction of being the first man to land a craft on the moon and first to step on its surface.

Armstrong subsequently held the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. In this position, he was responsible for the coordination and management of overall NASA research and technology work related to aeronautics.

He was Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati between 1971-1979. During the years 1982-1992, Armstrong was chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc., Charlottesville, Va.

He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California. He holds honorary doctorates from a number of universities.

Armstrong was a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the Royal Aeronautical Society; Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the International Astronautics Federation.

He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. He served as a member of the National Commission on Space (1985-1986), as Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident (1986), and as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Peace Corps (1971-1973).

Armstrong was decorated by 17 countries. He was the recipient of many special honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the Congressional Gold Medal; the Congressional Space Medal of Honor; the Explorers Club Medal; the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy; the NASA Distinguished Service Medal; the Harmon International Aviation Trophy; the Royal Geographic Society's Gold Medal; the Federation Aeronautique Internationale's Gold Space Medal; the American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award; the Robert J. Collier Trophy; the AIAA Astronautics Award; the Octave Chanute Award; and the John J. Montgomery Award.

Armstrong passed away on Aug. 25, 2012 following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. He was 82.

Citation:
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/bios/neilabio.html

Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:

Armstrong, Mark -- oral history interview, 2016 October 20

 File
Interview Summary Mark Armstrong is interviewed about his father, astronaut Neil Armstrong, as well as his own experiences with the Space Program during the 1960s and beyond. He describes his father’s aviation and space career and shares details about his childhood, growing up in the midst of the Apollo 11 mission. He also touches on his professional career in technology. Topics discussed his childhood memories of his father, his interest in physics and software programing, his thoughts on the Space Program,...
Dates: 2016 October 20

Biographical Information Files - A

 Sub-Group
Scope and Contents Individuals whose names begin with A: Aanenson, Quentin [U.S. Army Air Corps pilot]Clipping, "A Fighter Pilot's Story," Museum of Flight News, October 10, 2000 Abbey, George [Program Manager at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)] Four-page print of Abbey’s obituary published online at Legacy.com dated April 2, 2024 Article, "Mr....
Dates: 20th Century

Apollo 11 and 13 checklists

 Collection — Box Assorted rare collections, Box 1: [Barcode: One], Folder: 1
Identifier: 2013-03-25
Contents of the Collection The Apollo 11 and 13 checklists is a small collection consisting of only a few documents. The collection includes two checklists: a "P30 manuever data card" from the Apollo 11 mission, 1969, and the "Apollo-13 LM-7 Contingency Checklist," from the Apollo 13 mission, 1970. The pages include handwritten notes by Buzz Aldrin, James Lovell, and Fred Haise. There is also a letter of authenticity accompanying each page, signed by Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) and Fred Haise (Apollo 13) respectively. The...
Dates: 1969-1970

James Allen Joki NASA Collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 2023-01-06
Content Description The James Allen Joki NASA Collection is a small collection consisting of visual and textual materials related to Joki's career with NASA during the Apollo program. Of most interest are two digital prints of a black-and-white photograph depicting mission control at the moment of Neil Armstrong's first step on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. One print is 11x14 inches and includes annotations by Joki as well as his signature. The second print is 13x16 inches and is...
Dates: 1969-2015

Charles L. Soellner NASA Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 1992-04-03
Overview

The Charles L. Soellner NASA Collection documents the space programs of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The documents date from 1959 to 1975. The bulk of the materials are photographs and photomechancial prints mass-produced by NASA. The visual documentation and ephemera related to manned spaceflight missions were collected and assembled together in scrapbooks by Soellner.

Dates: 1959-1975

Ted Young Aviation lithograph collection

 Collection — Box Small Collections oversize materials 2019-, oversize: folder
Identifier: 2019-00-00-1
Contents of the Collection The Ted Young Aviation lithograph collection is comprised of eighteen (18) 11x14" color lithographs of assorted aircraft and aviators, created in 1974-circa 1990s. Identified aircraft include the Wright Military Flyer, "The Spirit of St. Louis", and Lockheed Vega "Winnie May." Identified personalities include Amelia Earhart, Samuel Pierpont Langley, Wilbur and Orvile Wright, General Jimmy Doolittle, Robert H. Goddard, Neil Armstrong, and John Glenn. Many of the lithographs, specifically...
Dates: 1974-circa 1990s

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