‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’ were the words of Neil Armstrong as he became the first human to step onto the surface of the moon on July 20th 1969. Between then and 1972 eleven other astronauts walked on the moon’s surface. Astronaut Eugene Cernan was the last person to date to walk on the lunar surface in December 1972.
Neil Armstrong was born in 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio, USA. He was of Scottish, Irish and German ancestry. He served as a pilot with the U.S Navy during the Korean War. Armstrong graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana in 1955. Following graduation he joined the organisation that would become NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
Neil Armstrong joined the astronaut programme in 1963 and with fellow astronaut David Scott was launched into earth orbit on March 16th 1966. His first space mission had to be cut short due to technical difficulties. He was appointed mission commander for the first manned mission to the moon in 1969. With Michael Collins and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin he was launched into space on July 16th 1969.
Following a 384,700km trip lasting four days, a record TV audience of over 520 million watched as Armstrong piloted the Lunar Module to the moon’s surface. In addition giant screens were erected in places such as Central Park in New York City where large crowds watched the event. Armstrong was accompanied in the lunar module by Buzz Aldrin. The third astronaut Michael Collins remained in the command module. Armstrong was the first to step onto the surface of the moon, followed by Aldrin. The two astronauts spent two and a half hours collecting samples, conducting experiments and taking photographs. They returned safely to earth four days later.
The successful mission was the fulfilment of a pledge made by President John F Kennedy in May 1961 to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Neil Armstrong visited Ireland on several occasions. His first visit was in 1979 when he opened the NASA-ESA space exhibition in Tralee where 10,000 people turned out to greet him. He died at the age of 82 on August 25th 2012.
Neil Armstrong, the first human to walk on the moon, was born in the year 1930 On This Day.
Neil Armstrong by Kanijoman on 2012-08-27 01:03:13