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Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. Image Credit: NASA

Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon. He is a former astronaut. He flew on two space missions. One was Apollo 11. That mission landed on the moon. He has also been an engineer, a pilot and a college professor.

What Was Neil Armstrong's Life Like Growing Up?

Neil Armstrong was born on Aug. 5, 1930. He was born in Ohio. He had a brother and a sister. His family moved many times when he was young. He was in the Boy Scouts of America. Armstrong flew in an airplane when he was 6. That flight made him love airplanes. Armstrong attended Blume High School. He went to college at Purdue University. While he was in college, he was in the U.S. Navy. He flew planes during the Korean War. Then he came back to college. He later earned a master's degree, too.

What Did Neil Armstrong Do Before He Became an Astronaut?

Before he was an astronaut, Armstrong worked for a group that studied airplanes. That group later became part of NASA. He flew several planes for them. He also helped design planes. One of the aircraft he flew was the X-15 rocket plane. This plane flew very high and very fast. It set records.

Armstrong took this picture of Aldrin on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Image Credit: NASA

What Did Neil Armstrong Do as an Astronaut?

Armstrong became an astronaut in 1962. He was in the second group of astronauts ever chosen. He was the commander of Gemini 8 in 1966. He flew on that mission with David Scott. They were the first astronauts to dock, or connect, two vehicles in space.

What Happened On the Apollo 11 Mission?

Armstrong's second flight was Apollo 11 in 1969. He was the mission commander. He flew with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon in a lander named "Eagle." They were the first people to land on the moon. Collins did not land. He circled the moon in the Apollo capsule. After they landed, Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon. Armstrong took the first step on the moon. He said, "That's one small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind."

The first footprints on the moon could be there for a million years. The moon has no wind to blow them away. Image Credit: NASA

Armstrong and Aldrin spent more than two hours outside their spacecraft on the moon. They studied the surface. They collected rocks. After almost a day, they blasted off. They docked with Collins in orbit around the moon. All three then flew back to Earth.

What Did Neil Armstrong Do After Apollo 11?

Neil Armstrong retired from NASA after Apollo 11. In 1971, he became a college professor. He taught until 1979. Later, he helped run a company that made computer software.


More About Neil Armstrong:
Neil Armstrong   →
World Book at NASA -- Neil Armstrong
Apollo 11 -- First Footprint on the Moon



David Hitt/NASA Educational Technology Services