http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/39186/20130827/neil-armstrong-annivers ary-death.htm
Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died at the age of 82 following complications from cardiovascular procedures, according to his family. Neil Armstrong was the commander of the Apollo 11 mission. Astronaut Neil Armstrong died a few weeks after heart surgery. Neil Alden Armstrong was a United States astronaut. Armstrong was first person to walk on the Moon. Neil Armstrong was an aerospace engineer, naval aviator, test pilot, lecturer and university professor. Armstrong served in the Korean War when he was in the U.S. Navy. He earned his bachelor's degree in Engineering at Purdue University after the war. After college, Neil Armstrong was a test pilot at the at the Dryden Flight Research Center, which was known at the time as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics High-Speed Flight Station. As a test pilot, Neil Armstrong logged over 900 flights. Neil Armstrong was a graduate student at the University of Southern California. Neil Armstrong was part of the U.S. Air Force's Man in Space Soonest and X-20 Dyna-Soar human spaceflight programs. Armstrong became an astronaut in 1962 when he joined the NASA Astronaut Corps. Neil Armstrong's first space flight was in 1966 as the command pilot of Gemini 8. Neil Armstrong was the first civilian astronaut to fly in space for NASA. Armstrong's second and last space mission was his most famous. In July 1969, Neil Armstrong was the mission commander of the Apollo 11 moon landing, along with crewmates Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, who piloted the Command Module in orbit around the moon. President Richard Nixon awarded Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter awarded Neil Armstrong the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009. Armstrong died in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 25, 2012, at the age of 82, after complications from coronary artery bypass surgery Neil Armstrong's family said "Neil Armstrong was also a reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job. He served his Nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut. ... He remained an advocate of aviation and exploration throughout his life and never lost his boyhood wonder of these pursuits." Neil Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 mission which landed the first men to walk the moon on July 20, 1969. The first moon walk was watched by half a billion people, which at the time was a sixth of the world's population. When he stepped off the ladder onto the lunar surface, Armstrong gave the immortal line, "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind." Buzz Aldrin, Armstrong's crewmate, joined him on the surface twenty minutes later. For two hours the two men bounced on the lunar surface, because of the light gravity on the moon while the world watched. Michael Collins stayed in orbit over the moon in the Apollo 11 command ship, Columbia, as Armstrong and Aldrin took photographs and rock samples, and performed experiments. In a statement Buzz Aldrin said "Neil and I trained together as technical partners but were also good friends who will always be connected through our participation in the mission of Apollo 11. Virtually the entire world took that memorable journey with us. I know I am joined by millions of others in mourning the passing of a true American hero and the best pilot I ever knew." Michael Collins said, "He was the best, and I will miss him terribly." In a statement from the White House, President Obama said, "Neil was among the greatest of American heroes -- not just of his time, but of all time. (Armstrong and his crewmates) set out to show the world that the American spirit can see beyond what seems unimaginable -- that with enough drive and ingenuity, anything is possible." NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, who had been a space shuttle astronaut, "Besides being one of America's greatest explorers, Neil carried himself with a grace and humility that was an example to us all. As we enter this next era of space exploration, we do so standing on the shoulders of Neil Armstrong." Now that the space shuttles have been grounded, NASA has no way to launch astronauts on its own. NASA it is working on a new spacecraft. NASA landed the robotic Curiosity rover on Mars this month. The Apollo 11 million answered the promise that President John F. Kennedy made in May 1961 to a joint session of Congress. 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. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish." When Kennedy issued the challenge, Neil Armstrong was a 30-year-old test pilot. Armstrong was flying the X-15 rocket plane for NASA, which was a new government agency at the time. Before becoming a test pilot, Armstrong was a naval aviator. Armstrong flew 78 missions during the Korean War. Armstrong graduated Purdue University with an engineering degree from Purdue University. Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio on Aug. 5, 1930. Neil Armstrong was married to the former Jan Shearon. The couple lived Edwards Air Force Base in California. Besides being the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong was the first American civilian to orbit the earth. On March 16, 1966, Neil Armstrong commanded Gemini VIII mission. His crewmate was David R. Scott. Armstrong and Scott made the first-ever docking in space with another spacecraft on their fourth orbit. The maneuver had not been tested, but was necessary for the planned Apollo project which would need to get astronauts to and from surface of the moon. The Gemini VIII million was almost a failure and a tragedy because a maneuvering thruster malfunctioned sending the 6,000 pound spacecraft spinning out of control at 17,500 miles an hour. Neil Armstrong used a second set of thrusters to bring the situation under control and Gemini VIII splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after 10 hours in space. Neil Armstrong and David R. Scott got commendations for staying cool in an emergency situation. After the Apollo 11 mission Armstrong became manager of NASA in Washington. Neil Armstrong taught engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Neil Armstrong was on investigative panels probing the Apollo 13 accident and the Challenger disaster. He rarely granted interviews, and stopped giving autographs when he found out they being sold for thousands of dollars. Neil Armstrong suffered a minor heart attack in 1991. He and his wife Jan got divorced in 1994 and he married Carol Knight. James R. Hansen, authorized biographer, wrote in 2005, "Neil Armstrong today seems to be a very happy man -- perhaps happier than at any other time in his life." Neil Armstrong said he did not want to be an icon, remembered only for the Apollo 11 mission, but did appear at the White House for major anniversaries of the mission. In 1994, Neil Armstrong said "There are great ideas undiscovered, breakthroughs available to those who can remove one of truth's protective layers. There are places to go beyond belief." _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews_etskywarn.net
