Neil Armstrong
By: Jamie Driver
October 13, 2011
Neil Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. Neil’s very first plane ride was when he turned six. When Neil was eight he built lots of model planes out of paper and balsa wood. When Neil was sixteen he got his pilot’s license.
Neil went to Purdue University for college. Neil was in the Korean war in the Navy. Neil was on a plane and one of the wings got loose, so he ejected from his seat and fell into the Sea of Japan. Neil Armstrong graduated from Purdue after the Korean war. Neil Armstrong got married in 1956 and had three children but one of them died. In the cold war the race to space began. In 1961 President John F. Kennedy said, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” In 1962 Armstrong became an astronaut. He was a great one because he was less than six feet tall, had a degree in engineering, and was an experienced jet pilot. On March 16,1966, Armstrong did the Gemini VII flight. He got to orbit the moon before landing on the moon.
The Apoll 11 Mission went to the moon. The three astronauts were Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins. At 9:32 am on July 16, 1969 they lifted off toward the moon. The space ship traveled about 250,000 miles and 4 days. They finally landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. Armstrong said, “That is one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.” A plaque left behind read, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon, July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind.” Armstrong and Aldrin planted the American flag on the moon. They safely returned to Earth on July 24,1969.
Neil Armstrong never went into space again. Neil Armstrong is a brave and smart man. He will always be remembered because he was the first man on the moon.

Biographical Source: "Neil Armstong: One Giant Leap for Mankind" By: Tara Dixon-Engel & Mike Jackson





