First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong

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In a 2010 Space Foundation survey, Armstrong was ranked as the number-one most popular space hero; [278] and in 2013, Flying magazine ranked him number one on its list of 51 Heroes of Aviation. [279] The press often asked Armstrong for his views on the future of spaceflight. In 2005, he said that a human mission to Mars would be easier than the lunar challenge of the 1960s. In 2010, he made a rare public criticism of the decision to cancel the Ares I launch vehicle and the Constellation Moon landing program. [280] In an open letter also signed by fellow Apollo veterans Lovell and Cernan, he said, "For The United States, the leading space faring nation for nearly half a century, to be without carriage to low Earth orbit and with no human exploration capability to go beyond Earth orbit for an indeterminate time into the future, destines our nation to become one of second or even third rate stature". [281] On November 18, 2010, aged 80, he said in a speech during the Science & Technology Summit in the Hague, Netherlands, that he would offer his services as commander on a mission to Mars if he were asked. [282] Neil Armstrong, (born August 5, 1930, Wapakoneta, Ohio, U.S.—died August 25, 2012, Cincinnati, Ohio), U.S. astronaut, the first person to set foot on the Moon. Early life and career

When Neil was a child growing up in rural America, he loved to learn all about aeroplanes and space. He got his student pilot’s licence when he was just 16 — before he even learned to drive a car! The young Armstrong became a naval aviator. Management of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) took an interest in Armstrong's combination of calmness and personal skill, coupled with his above-average intellect. Although contrasting somewhat with many of his colleagues, the Apollo 11 crew wound up as "amiable strangers", he attracted widespread respect. The fact that Armstrong got chosen to be "first down" on the lunar surface was a surprise, with astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. being expected to get priority. The mission itself proceeded spectacularly well, and Armstrong delivered his famous line: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." [1] [2] In October 2004 Purdue University named its new engineering building Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering; [267] the building was dedicated on October 27, 2007, during a ceremony at which Armstrong was joined by fourteen other Purdue astronauts. [268] The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center was renamed the NASA Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center in 2014. [269] In September 2012, the U.S. Navy named the first Armstrong-class vessel RV Neil Armstrong. Delivered to the Navy on September 23, 2015, it is a modern oceanographic research platform supporting a wide range of activities by academic groups. [270] In 2019, the College of Engineering at Purdue University celebrated the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's walk on the Moon by launching the Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Fellows Program, which brings highly accomplished scholars and practitioners to the college to catalyze collaborations with faculty and students. [271] External videos

Some former astronauts, including Glenn and Harrison Schmitt, sought political careers after leaving NASA. Armstrong was approached by groups from both the Democratic and Republican parties but declined the offers. He supported states' rights and opposed the U.S. acting as the " world's policeman". [199]

The Lunar Module that Neil and Buzz piloted together to land on the moon was called the Eagle. It’s where the now famous saying, “The Eagle has landed”, comes from! Carreau, Mark (September 29, 2006). "High-tech analysis may rewrite space history". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 4, 2006 . Retrieved September 30, 2006.Armstrong flew light aircraft for pleasure. He enjoyed gliders and before the Moon flight had earned a gold badge with two diamonds from the International Gliding Commission. He continued to fly engineless aircraft well into his 70s. [208] Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures [4] ultimately took up the First Man project in the mid-2010s. Damien Chazelle, a director receiving critical acclaim for his work in 2016's La La Land, signed onto the film's production. Actor Ryan Gosling, who starred in La La Land, joined as well. Given his role as the book's author, Hansen was attached to co-produce the movie. [5] [6] Versions [ edit ] Shortly after Apollo 11, Armstrong stated that he did not plan to fly in space again. [169] He was appointed Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics for the Office of Advanced Research and Technology at ARPA, served in the position for a year, then resigned from it and NASA in 1971. [170] He accepted a teaching position in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati, [171] having chosen Cincinnati over other universities, including his alma mater Purdue, because Cincinnati had a small aerospace department, [172] and said he hoped the faculty there would not be annoyed that he came straight into a professorship with only a USC master's degree. [173] He began his master's degree while stationed at Edwards years before, and completed it after Apollo 11 by presenting a report on various aspects of Apollo, instead of a thesis on the simulation of hypersonic flight. [174] When Armstrong applied at a local Methodist church to lead a Boy Scout troop in the late 1950s, he gave his religious affiliation as " deist". [200] His mother later said that his religious views caused her grief and distress in later life, as she was more religious. [201] Upon his return from the Moon, Armstrong gave a speech in front of the U.S. Congress in which he thanked them for giving him the opportunity to see some of the "grandest views of the Creator". [202] [203] In the early 1980s, he was the subject of a hoax claiming that he converted to Islam after hearing the call to prayer while walking on the Moon. Indonesian singer Suhaemi wrote a song called "Gema Suara Adzan di Bulan" ("The Resonant Sound of the Call to Prayer on the Moon") which described Armstrong's supposed conversion, and the song was widely discussed by Jakarta news outlets in 1983. [204] Similar hoax stories were seen in Egypt and Malaysia. In March 1983, the U.S. State Department responded by issuing a message to embassies and consulates in Muslim countries saying that Armstrong had not converted to Islam. [205] The hoax surfaced occasionally for the next three decades. Part of the confusion arose from the similarity between the names of the country of Lebanon, which has a majority Muslim population, and Armstrong's longtime residence in Lebanon, Ohio. [205] Apollo 11 Post Flight Press Conference, 16 September 1969". NASA. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015 . Retrieved July 24, 2015. Yes, I did think about it. It was not extemporaneous, neither was it planned. It evolved during the conduct of the flight and I decided what the words would be while we were on the lunar surface just prior to leaving the LM.

a b "Biographical Data: Neil A. Armstrong". NASA. August 2012. Archived from the original on December 4, 2017 . Retrieved April 7, 2018. A: I mean, there isn't any way of my knowing. When I listen to the tape, I can't hear the 'a', but that doesn't mean it wasn't there, because that was the fastest VOX ever built. There was no mike-switch — it was a voice-operated key or VOX. In a helmet you find you lose a lot of syllables. Sometimes a short syllable like 'a' might not be transmitted. However, when I listen to it, I can't hear it. But the 'a' is implied, so I'm happy if they just put it in parentheses. Neil Armstrong Explains His Famous Apollo 11 Moonwalk". Space.com. December 10, 2010. Archived from the original on August 2, 2013 . Retrieved October 14, 2013.

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Neil Armstrong, Hallmark Settle". Chicago Tribune. December 2, 1995. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011 . Retrieved May 19, 2011. A Giant Leap For An Ulsterman". The Belfast Telegraph. August 28, 2012 . Retrieved November 14, 2018. Ford, Peter Shann (September 17, 2006). "Electronic Evidence and Physiological Reasoning Identifying the Elusive Vowel "a" in Neil Armstrong's Statement on First Stepping onto the Lunar Surface". collectSPACE. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007 . Retrieved August 28, 2007. When Neil was 17, he went to university to study aeronautical engineering — the science used in the designing, building and testing of aircrafts. Clever! The Apollo 11 crew – Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin. Neil and Buzz landed on the moon using the ‘Lunar Module’, while Michael guided them from their command base.