Born: 5 August 1930 · Died: 25 August 2012 · Age: 82
NASA astronaut who commanded Apollo 11 and became the first person to walk on the Moon in July 1969
Did you know?He had to perform a manual landing of the lunar module because the intended site was too rocky.
Quick facts
Date of birth5 August 1930
Date of death25 August 2012
Age at death82
Cause of deathSurgical complications
NationalityAmerican
BirthplaceWapakoneta, Ohio, USA
Occupationastronaut, naval aviator, test pilot
Editor's Take:
Neil Armstrong's place in history was sealed in a single moment, but the man himself was famously reluctant to make anything of it. A Korean War pilot and test pilot who flew the rocket-powered X-15 to the edge of space, he was chosen for Apollo 11 partly for his calm under pressure. That calm was tested in the final minutes of the descent, as alarms flashed on the computer and fuel ran perilously low. His first step and first words on 20 July 1969 were watched by an estimated 600 million people. Afterwards he shunned celebrity, taught engineering and guarded his privacy, which only deepened the respect he commanded.
Key Milestones
1951: Flies combat missions in the Korean War
1955: Joins NACA as a test pilot
1962: Selected as a NASA astronaut
1966: Performs the first docking in space on Gemini 8
1969: Becomes the first person to walk on the Moon
1971: Leaves NASA to teach engineering
NASA astronaut and commander of Apollo 11, the first person to walk on the Moon.
“That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
