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

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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, and his position as a trustee at The Museum of Flight.

Table of contents: Introduction and personal background -- Dad’s selection to Astronaut Corps -- Dad’s favorite aircraft and interest in flying -- Neil Armstrong’s education and military training -- Neil’s service in Korea -- X-Plane Project and growing up in the NASA environment -- Astronaut family gatherings -- Incident on the Banana River painting -- Memories of Apollo 11 -- Family move to Washington, D.C. and return to Cincinnati -- Watching movies with Dad -- Mark’s education and professional career -- Becoming a Museum of Flight trustee and personal goals

Dates

Creation: 2016 October 20

Creator

From the Collection: Museum of Flight (Seattle, Wash.) (Organization)

Language of Materials

From the Collection:

All materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. Interviews are being made available online on an ongoing basis. For more information contact us.

Biographical Note: Mark Armstrong

Mark Armstrong was born on April 8, 1963 in Houston, Texas to astronaut Neil Alden Armstrong and his wife, Janet Elizabeth Sharon Armstrong. Around age seven, his family relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he spent much of his youth. In 1969, when Armstrong was six years old, he and his family watched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida as his father, along with fellow crew members Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, were launched aboard the Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle. He met his father at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston, Texas upon his return. After the completion of the Apollo 11 mission, the Armstrong family moved briefly to Washington, D.C. before returning to Cincinnati.

Armstrong attended undergraduate school at Stanford University, where he studied computer software, engineering, and philosophy. He graduated in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in physics. His first job after college was as a software writer consultant for Macintosh. He later went on to work for several startup companies as a software writer for Macintosh computers. By 1988, Armstrong was Vice President of Engineering at Pharos Technologies, Inc., which was followed by other administrative and executive roles with Symantec Corporation, WebTV Networks, Microsoft, and Scenario Learning. In 2009, he became co-owner of New Leaf Properties.

In 2012, Armstrong and his brother Rick attended an astronaut reunion and gala at The Museum of Flight, which inspired him to join the Museum’s Board of Trustees.

Biographical information derived from interview and additional information provided by interviewee.