27 interesting facts about Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut who made history by becoming the first person to walk on the moon. He was a highly accomplished pilot and engineer who served as a test pilot before being selected for the NASA astronaut program. In this article, we will explore 27 interesting facts about Neil Armstrong.

1. Neil Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio.
2. Armstrong earned his pilot’s license at the age of 16, before he even earned his driver’s license.
3. He served in the United States Navy during the Korean War and flew 78 combat missions.
4. Armstrong earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University in 1955.
5. He began working as a test pilot for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which later became NASA.
6. Armstrong was selected as an astronaut in 1962 as part of the second group of NASA astronauts.
7. He made his first spaceflight in 1966 as command pilot of the Gemini 8 mission.
8. During the Gemini 8 mission, Armstrong and his fellow astronaut David Scott completed the first successful docking of two spacecraft in orbit.
9. Armstrong was chosen to command the Apollo 11 mission, which was the first manned mission to land on the moon.
10. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong became the first person to step onto the moon, famously declaring, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
11. Armstrong and his fellow astronaut, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, spent two and a half hours outside the spacecraft on the moon’s surface, while Michael Collins orbited above.
12. Armstrong and Aldrin planted the United States flag on the moon’s surface.
13. The mission lasted eight days and included a total of 21 hours and 36 minutes of moonwalking time.
14. Armstrong’s first words on the moon were actually supposed to be “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” but the “a” was lost in transmission.
15. Armstrong’s heart rate reached 150 beats per minute during the landing of the Apollo 11 spacecraft on the moon.
16. Armstrong was a humble and private person who shied away from the spotlight after his historic moonwalk.
17. He retired from NASA in 1971 and became a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati.
18. Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States, in 1969.
19. He was also awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978.
20. Armstrong was inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Honor in 1991.
21. He died on August 25, 2012, at the age of 82.
22. Armstrong’s family requested that people honour his legacy by doing something simple but profound: take a walk outside, look up at the moon, and give a wink.
23. Armstrong’s first words to his fellow astronaut after stepping on the moon were, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
24. Armstrong kept a piece of the Wright brothers’ first airplane with him on the Apollo 11 mission, in honour of the pioneers of flight.
25. Armstrong was known for his precision and attention to detail, and he was selected to be the first person to walk on the moon because of his calmness under pressure.
26. Armstrong was a fan of jazz music and played the baritone horn in a variety of ensembles throughout his life.
27. In 2005, Armstrong revealed that he had nearly run out of fuel during the final descent to the moon’s surface, which could have resulted in disaster.