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NEIL ARMSTRONG: A LIFE
FROM BEGINNING TO END,
by
HOURLY HISTORY.
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Very well written, and very well compiled.
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"After the Armstrong house was destroyed by flames, the whole neighborhood offered their support. They were kind enough to donate their time, money, and whatever resources they had to help the Armstrongs get back on their feet as quickly and smoothly as possible. However, it must be mentioned that in a grim twist of fate Ed White would ultimately perish in 1967 when he, along with astronauts Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee, were burned up in an Apollo capsule due to an out-of-control fire."
They deserve to be remembered.
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"On July 16, 1969, Armstrong and his crew got up early, had breakfast, and then headed over to the launch pad. Upon their arrival, they entered a special elevator that allowed them to rise several stories until they reached the very top of the rocket, upon which their space capsule was perched. The men then walked across a gangway, entered the capsule, and prepared for blast-off.
"Mission control counted down the seconds until an explosion of rocket fuel blew out of the bottom of the craft, and the ship began to rise up and away from the launch tower. The first stage of the rocket launched the fiery ship up some 40 miles (65 kilometers) before its fuel was expended, and the first stage was jettisoned. The craft’s second stage engine then fired up to send the ship hurtling even farther and on into Earth orbit. When the second stage dropped, the third and final rocket engine fired, sending the craft on course to the Moon.
"The ship entered the Moon’s gravitational pull a few days later before reaching lunar orbit on July 20. On this date, with Michael Collins manning the controls of the orbiting craft (Columbia), Armstrong and Aldrin boarded the lunar landing module, referred to as the Eagle. The craft made a slow descent to the lunar surface, and upon landing, Armstrong would issue the now-famous proclamation, “The Eagle has landed.”
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"Even though the craft was being constantly assisted by onboard navigational computers, safely landing the lunar module was an incredibly challenging task. It called for nothing short of a perfect landing. Even if Armstrong and Aldrin survived a crash landing, they would effectively be stranded on the lunar surface. If such a thing had occurred, Michael Collins orbiting the Moon would have only been able to watch helplessly from above. There was no way the orbiting craft would have been able to swoop down and pick up the stranded astronauts. The only way for them to leave the lunar surface was to rocket back up; if the lunar module was destroyed, Armstrong and Aldrin would be as good as lost.
"The stark reality of this fact had then-President Richard Nixon draft two separate speeches for the Moon landing. One was a speech of triumph, which he did indeed end up reading after the successful landing. The other alternative speech was drafted in the event that Armstrong and Aldrin were forever lost and stranded on the lunar surface. This sad, dark speech would have had Nixon speaking of how “Mother Earth” had “dared send two of her sons into the unknown” only to have them forever entombed on the “corner of another world.”"
The president who had set it in motion was JFK, and he's so remembered. It's a tad startling to be reminded that the actual event was during the Nixon years, because it wasn't accidental that his era is inextricably linked in everybody's consciousness with Watergate and it's exposure resulting in his impeachment.
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"It was not exactly an uplifting message, and thankfully Nixon never had to read it because Armstrong and Aldrin would indeed successfully land the lunar module without sustaining any damage to the craft. For a while, though, it was rough going, and it was only due to the quick thinking of Armstrong that a crash landing was avoided. The module’s onboard computers had the craft headed to what Armstrong thought was a far too rocky section of the Moon. As such, he disengaged the computer and, at the last minute, brought the craft in for a manual landing, where he executed a perfect touch-down on a nice and smooth surface.
"Upon their successful landing, Neil and Buzz had to quickly go about their business on the Moon. It has long been wondered why the engagement appeared to be so rushed, but according to later testimony, there were two main reasons. Firstly, it was due to the lack of sustainable oxygen for the astronauts. They only had a certain amount of oxygen, and they had to make sure they met their objectives on the lunar surface before they ran out. Secondly, no one knew for sure how the spacesuits would cope with the Moon’s extreme temperatures, which can range from about 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 Celsius) to -200 degrees Fahrenheit (-130 Celsius).
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"It was Neil Armstrong himself who made the first step onto the Moon. He signified the feat by acknowledging both the unique moment given to him as well as the momentous occasion it presented to all of humanity. Armstrong expressed these feelings by stating, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” This quote, which Armstrong came up with on his own, became a source of great discussion since the radio transmission did not pick the “a” before “man,” rendering the statement, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Perhaps Neil, in the heat of the moment, misspoke, or maybe the “a” was simply obscured by radio static—as of yet, there is no way of knowing for certain."
Why not realise that it was intentional, deliberate, intended to mean far more than mere "one small step for a man"?
"Whatever the case may be, Armstrong was fulfilling a personal dream of his, but he also understood the larger role he was playing for humanity; some 600 million of his fellow human beings were, in fact, anxiously watching this moment on their television screens. Although it was American astronauts who had landed on the Moon, it wasn’t their triumph alone; it was a feat collectively experienced by all of humankind. It’s often been said that as divisive as the 1960s may have been, it was the 1969 Moon landing that truly brought a sense of commonality to people. The feeling was universal and quite simple; two individuals from Earth had made the trip to the Moon, and all of Earth stood in awe of what they had just borne witness to."
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"After the Eagle successfully touched down on the lunar surface, Armstrong, followed by Aldrin, stepped foot on the Moon. Here, everything was new for them, and their first task was simply to get a feel for what walking on the Moon was like. Prior to their stepping foot on the lunar surface, there was some debate as to how much surface tension the Moon actually had. Some insisted it must be quite solid, while others argued that there could be areas as soft as quicksand where the unwary astronauts might sink. Fortunately for Armstrong and Aldrin, the surface appeared to be quite stable, and besides being a bit lighter due to the Moon’s reduction in gravity, they were able to walk and even hop along the lunar ground without any trouble at all.
"After these first basic experiments in walking on the Moon, Armstrong laid down a special plaque on the lunar surface. The plaque was inscribed with the date of the landing and a simple message of how human beings from Earth had landed on the Moon and had done so with entirely peaceful intentions. This narrative of peace was quite important during the Cold War since prior to the American landing on the Moon, there were real fears of the militarization of the Moon. It was in light of such musings that NASA deemed it important to clearly demonstrate that the Moon landing was a peaceful mission of exploration and not one of military conquest. Even so, Armstrong and Aldrin’s next gesture—the planting of an American flag—would be seen by some as a sign of the United States attempting to somehow claim ownership of the Moon.
"At any rate, for two and a half hours, the astronauts explored a small corner of the Moon, collected some rock samples, and conducted some basic experiments before returning to the Eagle. They would then begin the arduous process of lifting off the lunar surface and docking back with the orbiting craft piloted by Michael Collins. The real moment of truth occurred when they were back in the Eagle, wringing their hands over whether or not the lander would still function well enough to launch them up to the orbiting craft.
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"Although they discovered that the ignition switch for the ascent engine had broken, they were able to start the launch by using part of a pen. After the appropriate controls were activated, the craft’s thrusters fired, and they were sent aloft without any problems. They then successfully with the orbiter and were greeted by an entirely relieved Michael Collins, who welcomed them back onto the craft that would take them home. The Eagle had now served its purpose and was jettisoned and left to drift back to the Moon, where it would eventually crash and stand as a further testament to humanity’s arrival on the Moon."
That should read "They then successfully docked", or "They then docked successfully".
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"With everything in order, Michael Collins toggled the controls on the orbiter and sent it flying back toward the Earth. On July 24, Armstrong and company then splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. They were seasick and entirely exhausted at this point and were eager to finally get out of the cramped confines of the capsule. Nevertheless, they patiently waited to be picked up by the recovery team. They were picked up by way of a helicopter, which sent them to a waiting naval craft, the U.S.S. Hornet, where they would make the last leg of their journey.
"It seemed that Armstrong and his fellow Apollo astronauts had gone full circle: from the most advanced tools of exploration (spacecraft) to the most ancient (boat). Upon boarding the Hornet, these astronauts were then ferried back to dry land, where they would have to stay in quarantine out of fear of the possibility that they may have picked up some unknown germs from the Moon. Such things might almost seem laughable today, but it just goes to show how much of an unknown territory these brave explorers had stumbled into.
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"The astronauts remained in quarantine for three weeks before they were allowed to walk freely. It was a cumbersome burden for anyone to have placed on them, but these brave souls knew this would be the case in advance, and they gladly agreed to the stint in isolation as yet another part of their incredible journey. Upon their release, these intrepid explorers were celebrated as heroes and toured the country to the delight of jubilant crowds of admirers. At one event in Chicago alone, it’s said that the astronauts were greeted by a crowd of over two million people.
"But not everyone was enthusiastic about the Moon mission. At times, protesters gathered to express their disdain for what they viewed as a waste of money on space exploration, which they argued could be used for domestic programs at home. Armstrong even met some of these critics face-to-face during his trip to Chicago. Addressing them directly, he argued the benefits of space exploration for scientific advancement, as well as improving social cohesion at home. But what really seemed to melt hearts was when Armstrong spoke of how space exploration was really an exploration of our own inner being. He argued that the better we understand the cosmos, the better we understand ourselves. These remarks struck a chord, and even those who had gathered to protest began to applaud. Armstrong, although often pegged as the strong silent type, was indeed an impassioned speaker when the opportunity arose. His words would later be echoed by the likes of Carl Sagan, with similar brilliance.
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"It was shortly after this epic speech that Neil and his compatriots headed back to California to get to spend some much-needed quality time with their family members. This was not before being treated to an extravagant state dinner, where each was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon. The next day, the astronauts headed over to Houston to do a segment for the TV news program Meet the Press. It was only after this that they finally allowed themselves to have some private time on their own.
"In order to avoid further attention, Armstrong and his family spent a relaxing few weeks at the private ranch of Learjet mogul Harry Combs. Here, they were able to ride horses, walk trails, and enjoy the quiet side of life as they reconnected with nature. Most importantly, they were able to reconnect with themselves. Neil and Janet’s marriage had been quite strained by the nonstop training for missions that had taken place during the lead-up to the Moon landing. As incredible as landing on the Moon was, the Armstrongs were now looking forward to simply being able to catch their breath and catch up with each other.
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"“I fully expected that, by the end of the century, we would have achieved substantially more than we actually did.”
"—Neil Armstrong"
True. Probably most did, after the tremendous leap of landing and stepping out on the Moon - such as landing and stepping out on not only Mars but other planets, in particular outer ones.
In the event, what was actually achieved was far more long-term and farsighted, in various missions such as Pioneer and, all the more so, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 being priorotised over the obvious alternative steps, of orbiting and - or - landing on other planets of Solar System, which latter has been also proceeded with, however slowly it'd seem to be so.
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"After leaving these powerful organizations, Armstrong picked up a simple teaching post for the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Word had leaked out to the press ahead of his first class session, and to Armstrong’s chagrin, his first day of teaching was plagued with reporters wandering around on campus. Nevertheless, Armstrong attempted to make a good show of paying them no heed. With cameras flashing, he marched right up to his class nestled in Rhodes Hall, and ignoring questions being shouted out at him, he entered the classroom and shut the door behind him, leaving the news reporters out in the cold."
Good show, Armstrong! Very proper stance for a true member of academia!
"Soon the reporters lost interest, and Neil Armstrong was able to prove himself as a wonderfully talented professor. During his tenure at the university, he also continued to push his vision for future space missions. He declared to all who would listen that the Moon landing he took part in should not be a one-off journey. He discussed how space travel should be made routine, and deep space exploration, in particular, should be made a priority."
That's exactly what seems to have been the direction that NASA proceeded with, since then.
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"Many scientific advancements and inventions would indeed come from space exploration. Among these are cordless tools, solar cells, memory foam, wireless headsets, smaller cameras and computers, and ways to purify air and water. Neil Armstrong, for one, worked to create a pump to circulate blood in heart-lung machines and artificial hearts. His inspiration for this was the so-called Apollo pump, which circulated cooling water through his spacesuit during the Moon mission. Neil Armstrong was known for innovative feats of engineering, but his concept of adapting the spacesuit for use in hospitals on Earth was indeed quite extraordinary.
"Armstrong would go on to teach for eight years before leaving the profession in 1980. Although he never gave any official reason as to why he left when he did, some have surmised that it was due to politics. Neil Armstrong had largely kept his political views to himself. The closest he came to speaking on political ideology was in a lecture dating back to 1976 when he spoke of the need to loosen government regulation in order to free up creativity. His words are couched in vague terms, but one can get the sense of a conservative railing against big government. Otherwise, Armstrong was mostly tight-lipped on his political views. It’s said that the campus at which he taught, however, had a faculty that was becoming increasingly politicized, leading Armstrong to desire his extrication from it altogether.
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"In 1979, just prior to his departure, Armstrong suffered a terrible accident. He was working with some farm equipment on his property when his ring finger got caught up in the machinery. The finger was ripped right off, but Neil had the presence of mind to grab up the severed digit and put it on ice despite the pain and fountain of blood that ensued, knowing that there was the possibility it could be surgically reattached. Neil guessed right since, after a trip to a state-of-the-art hospital and a top-of-the-line surgeon, the severed finger was indeed restored to his hand. His injury explains why he lessened his course load in 1979, but it still doesn’t really explain his sudden departure in 1980.
"At any rate, just before leaving, Neil Armstrong took the time to give a powerful commencement speech for that year’s graduating class. After quietly retiring from his teaching post, Armstrong made his next major public debut in 1983, on what was the 25th anniversary of the founding of NASA. In commemoration of this milestone, he appeared in a TV special hosted by Bob Hope, which was broadcast on NBC. A couple of years later, Armstrong again made headlines in a major way when he joined a 1985 expedition to the North Pole. The expedition consisted of a veritable all-star cast of explorers which included Armstrong, Patrick Morrow, Steve Fossett, and the New Zealand climbing expert Edmund Hillary.
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"Right on the heels of this great adventure, Armstrong was recruited by the Reagan administration to sit on the board of the National Commission on Space. It was a consulting gig and would have Armstrong giving presentations on future aspirations of space travel in a very similar vein as he had done in the past for NASA. Armstrong’s vision was once again far-reaching as he argued not only for manned exploration of Mars but for eventual colonization of the entire solar system as a whole.
"Neil Armstrong was excited at the future prospects of space travel, and for a while, it seemed that just about anything was possible. A short time later, however, on January 28, 1986, the horror of the Challenger disaster transpired. The Challenger Space Shuttle was carrying a crew of both astronauts and specially picked civilians when a major malfunction occurred right after take-off. The shuttle erupted in a fiery explosion, killing all onboard.
"This event reminded the public of the risk involved with space travel and, in many ways, cast a dark shadow over the recently voiced ambition for the future of space exploration. In the aftermath, Armstrong himself would be placed on an investigative panel tasked with getting to the bottom of why the Challenger disaster took place. Armstrong’s group cited bureaucratic failures and dubious safety inspections as contributing factors, and they came up with several recommendations to NASA in order to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
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"In his later years, Armstrong largely stepped away from public scrutiny. His health had begun to decline; he suffered a heart attack in the early 1990s while skiing in Aspen and continued to have cardiovascular issues afterward. It was this deteriorating condition that culminated in bypass surgery in 2012. The operation was deemed necessary due to recurringly clogged arteries. Initially, the procedure was deemed a success, but shortly after, dire complications arose, which led to Armstrong’s death on August 25, 2012, at 82 years of age.
"The loss was a sad one for anyone that knew of him, but Neil Armstrong had led a full and rich life. Whether he was strapped to a fighter jet or landing on the Moon, Armstrong had stared death in the face on multiple occasions and survived. Ever since he was a boy in Ohio, dreaming of flying up into the ether, he desired to reach new and untold horizons. No matter what, Neil Armstrong was always pushing for the next great frontier.
"Armstrong may have been a bit disappointed in the lack of visible progress in the space program in his later years, but nevertheless, even after Neil himself made his final departure into the great beyond, we can still clearly see the trail that this incredible pioneer has blazed. ... "
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"Neil Alden Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He was the eldest of three children born to Viola and Stephen Armstrong, an auditor for the Ohio state government. Upon his birth, it was immediately noticed that little Neil shared a resemblance to his father, and it’s said that he had that same set of powerful Armstrong jaws. His eyes, however, were just like his mother’s, and he would use them to ceaselessly cast his gaze about as he explored his surroundings.
"Viola would later recall Neil being a calm and peaceful child. He was perhaps a bit introverted, but that introspection was merely a sign of how thoughtful he was. The man who would one day step foot on the Moon—and forever alter our cosmic perspective as a consequence—was indeed a natural-born philosopher. Neil was also a voracious reader. As soon as he learned to read, he browsed through just about every book he could, and it’s said that by the time he was in elementary school, he had already read more than 100 books. He was well ahead of his peers, and his second-grade teacher would later recall how Neil Armstrong had read books that were way beyond his age level.
"Neil’s smarts were indeed noticed early on, and he was deemed far enough along to skip the second grade entirely, starting third grade when he was seven years old. Neil was an overachiever, and he never set his sights on merely what was obtainable but rather always sought to push things to the next level. Never willing to settle for the status quo, this future moonwalker was eagerly looking toward the next horizon."
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"“Neil read a lot as a child, and that was his escape. It wasn’t an escape from anything; it was an escape to something, into a world of imagination.”
"—June Armstrong"
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"Neil Armstrong was confident and assertive at a young age. He was only ten years old when he held down his first regular job, working as a groundskeeper at a graveyard in 1940. Most kids might have been a little spooked to mow grass between gravestones, but not Neil Armstrong. From an early age, he was ready to make something of himself.
"Armstrong also learned early on that even if one task wasn’t the most glamourous or desirable, if he worked hard enough, it could open the door to another. It wasn’t long after he put in time at the graveyard that he was able to get hired on for the decidedly more pleasant job of cleaning out mixers at a local bakery. Here, Neil truly enjoyed his work, and most especially, he enjoyed all of the free pastries and baked goods he would get at the end of his shift.
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"Along with school and working part-time jobs, Armstrong was also an eager participant in the Boy Scouts. He would later recall how after the news got out about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Boy Scouts recruited youngsters like him to help do what they could to aid the war effort. Neil himself was, of course, too young to fight, but he and his fellow scouts often lent their services. One of the most interesting volunteer efforts of his group was to actively scan the skies for enemy aircraft.
"Back in 1941, no one knew for sure whether there would be another attack on the American homeland, as had happened at Pearl Harbor, and the scouts were told to keep their eyes peeled for any unusual-looking planes. This meant that they had to be trained to know the difference between American craft and the craft of a potential adversary. These efforts were essentially Neil Armstrong’s first foray into studying aviation.
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"Neil carried on his interest into his high school years at Wapakoneta’s Blume High School, and in 1944, he began training to be a pilot at the local airfield, paying for these lessons with money he had earned himself. These efforts would lead to Neil gaining an actual certification in flight by the time he turned 16 years old. Even while his peers were struggling to get a driver’s license, Neil Armstrong—ever the overachiever—upped the ante by going out and getting a pilot’s license. Neil was already up in the air flying solo before he drove his first car.
"It was around this time that Armstrong took up an interest in astronomy. He was seeking an astronomy merit badge from the Boy Scouts, and in order to get it, he went to a local astronomer named Jake Zint, who had built an observatory on top of his house. With Zint’s permission, Armstrong used his equipment to gaze at the stars, but interestingly enough, what caught young Neil Armstrong’s attention more than anything else was the Moon. He was captivated by its mysterious glow.
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"Zint later claimed that Armstrong even openly speculated that perhaps there was life somewhere on the lunar surface. According to Zint, after discussing the possibility further, Neil ultimately decided that while the Moon was most likely not capable of sustaining life, Mars perhaps could. In later years, such an exchange from Armstrong would have caused a stir, but back then, Neil was just a precocious teen daydreaming, to whom others paid little heed.
"At any rate, Neil Armstrong got his merit badge and continued to plow right ahead in his studies at school. He graduated high school early, and at just 17 years old, he was enrolled to study aeronautical engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Incredibly enough, it’s said that Armstrong actually flew his own small plane to the local West Lafayette airport to register. Neil Armstrong was college bound."
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"“Pilots take no special joy in walking. Pilots like flying.”
"—Neil Armstrong"
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"Neil Armstrong may have been the first man on the Moon, but he was only the second in his own family to go to college. For Armstrong and his relatives, this was a great achievement in and of itself. Armstrong’s good grades had certainly paid off, for it was by way of a special scholarship called the Holloway Plan that Armstrong had the opportunity to seek higher learning. This scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Navy, would play itself out in seven years’ time. It required two years at school and then three years spent serving in some capacity in the Navy, followed by completing the last two years of a four-year degree.
"His interlude of service in the Navy occurred in 1949 when a 19-year-old Neil Armstrong was shipped off to a naval base in Pensacola, Florida. Neil was excited to learn more about the fighter planes stationed there, but the experience was eye-opening in more ways than one. Pensacola, right off the Gulf Coast of Florida, was bustling in those days and was loaded with plenty of bars and nightclubs. There were certainly plenty of temptations for young men stationed far from home. Neil, however, was typically more interested in the fresh smell of jet fuel on base than the open air of Pensacola’s beaches and its nightlife. He was known to enjoy a good swim or two, and his friends later recalled how he would swim way out into the deep, away from everyone else, until he was just an obscure spec of humanity floating out in the distance.
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"Nevertheless, Armstrong’s real joy was most certainly in his work on planes. As soon as he was given his customary uniform of khaki clothes and a slide rule, he busied himself learning all the specs of the new fighter jets that were being readied for the next war. That war—the Korean War—would come soon enough. Hostilities had broken out on the Korean Peninsula on June 25, 1950, when the North Koreans launched a sudden invasion of the U.S.-backed South Korea.
"It was just a few days after the outbreak of the war that then-ensign Neil Armstrong was placed on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Essex and sent sailing toward Korea. Armstrong had already spent much valuable time in training, learning the basics such as how to land on an aircraft carrier and, in particular, how to fly the Grumman F9F Panther, which was the go-to fighter jet at the time for U.S. forces. It was this craft—only recently equipped with an ejection seat, should things go awry—that Neil would use to go on both surveillance flights, as well as some limited bombing runs, for the U.S. Armed Forces.
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"The mothership—the mighty aircraft carrier Essex—that carried both Neil Armstrong and the craft he would fly had parked itself in the Sea of Japan in prime position for aircraft to launch off its decks and conduct raids on North Korean positions. These raids would have Armstrong flying his jet low to the ground as he blew up roads, bridges, supply depots, and other pieces of infrastructure important to the North Koreans.
"It was a supply depot that was the target of one of Neil’s first missions. He dived down low at his target with his plane’s 20-millimeter guns blazing, strafing structures and no doubt human beings with bullets. If Armstrong ever regretted his exploits during the war, he didn’t let on that he did. He most likely understood the consequences of combat and knew full well that if he had not disabled these enemy targets, it would mean the deaths of countless American troops. Armstrong methodically continued to meet the objectives that his superior officers had given him, and during this foray, 21-year-old Neil Armstrong was determined not to disappoint. He circled several times, doing significant damage to the enemy positions.
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"During his final run circling back over the targets, however, enemy anti-aircraft fire managed to hit the front of his jet. The damage was extensive and knocked out a special navigational system on Neil’s jet called the elevator controls. Fortunately, Neil Armstrong had read up enough on the specs of this aircraft beforehand to know that he could manually toggle tiny flaps into position on his wings to prevent a complete nose dive of his craft. This was the brilliant engineering mind of Armstrong coming to life to stave off complete and utter disaster.
"All the same, during this struggle, he had dropped down quite low into a valley. It was at this low altitude that he managed to plow right into a bit of cabling that had been strung up into the air. It remains unclear if this was a telephone line from a communication tower or, as some accounts suggest, a purposeful booby trap set up to entangle low-flying craft. Whatever the case may be, the impact at this speed was enough to slice off a chunk of one of Armstrong’s wings. He was barely able to stabilize his plane enough to keep it aloft.
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"Fortunately, his wingmen noticed his distress and broke off their attack to shepherd their comrade out of harm’s way. As Neil limped through the skies, he realized his craft was much too heavy to keep aloft in its damaged state. As such, he took immediate action by toggling controls to release the heavy cannons on his plane, as well as all of his ammunition. He also tried to drop the rockets perched under his wings but could not get them to respond to his controls. He realized that the release mechanism must have been damaged when his plane was hit. This created even graver concern since it was possible that the live munitions he carried could suddenly blow, killing him in the process.
"Nevertheless, Neil Armstrong kept his cool, and in the same methodical manner that he would employ later on as an astronaut, he mentally checked off the boxes of what he could do and refused to panic over the things he could not control. Under his calm and steady hand, he managed to fly the crippled craft as close to friendly territory as possible before he was forced to press the button that would launch his ejection seat. After slamming his first finger down on the controls to eject, his seat shot up out of the doomed jetfighter, and Neil was aloft."
What about the wingman?
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"Relying on a combination of adrenaline and training, Armstrong then kicked away the seat and opened up his parachute. The chute whipped around wildly, sending him into a dizzying spin as he descended. Just in case he was seized by the North Koreans, Armstrong was prepared for any contingency. Fortunately enough for him, though, he ended up landing just south of enemy lines. Instead of being apprehended by hostile forces, he was greeted by a local rice farmer. The farmer was not only friendly, but he actually ran up to Armstrong to hand him back his helmet, which had crashed to the ground separate from its wearer.
"Neil Armstrong was then picked up by a recovery team and sent back to the Essex, where he would be debriefed and have time to recuperate. The recuperation itself only lasted a few hours since Armstrong was back in the air the following day."
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"In the fall of 1952, a 22-year-old Neil Armstrong—now a Korean War veteran—returned to the West Lafayette campus of Purdue University to finish up his coursework. He had completed his obligatory service to the Navy, fulfilling the terms of his scholarship, and was ready to earn his degree.
"For his last leg at Purdue University, Armstrong hooked up with a Purdue fraternity—Phi Delta Theta—and moved into a frat house on campus. He had come back to campus with some rather deep pockets due to the hazardous duty pay he had received from the military. Some young men might have been tempted to splurge the money and go on a spending spree or perhaps go partying with their fellow frat brothers, but this wasn’t the case for Armstrong. Instead, he was more determined than ever to finish his degree and become seriously involved in the aeronautics industry.
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"During his final run at Purdue University, Neil Armstrong hunkered down and made sure that he got good grades. He also joined up with the so-called American Rocket Society, which was a group of rocket enthusiasts on campus. After a while, however, even the dedicated Armstrong realized that his social life was a bit lacking. As such, he proposed to his frat brothers that they hook up with the Purdue sorority Alpha Chi Omega to put on a variety show. Of all things, Neil suggested they form a singing troupe. This future Moon walker was indeed going to try his luck as a melodic crooner, belting out hard-hitting harmonies for his fellow college students.
"The singing troupe was not only a chance for Armstrong and company to try their luck at singing, of course, but also to fraternize with the ladies of the sorority. One member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority in particular—Janet Shearon—would go on to become Neil Armstrong’s wife. Janet just so happened to belong to the sorority that Armstrong’s fraternity had chosen to partner with, and soon after their initial introduction, the two were bumping into each other rather frequently. Their attraction for each other was quite clear, but Neil Armstrong, always slow to action when it came to serious social commitment, would draw the situation out as long as possible, letting several months pass by before he entered into a serious relationship with his newfound love interest. The couple would take even longer to get married, not tying the knot until 1956.
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"In the meantime, Armstrong finished his studies and graduated from Purdue University in 1955. With his Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering degree in hand, he began a new career as a test pilot and engineer for NACA (National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics). This organization was the direct precursor to what would ultimately evolve into NASA. Here, Armstrong would take part in testing out the exciting new X-1 series of rocket planes that would pave the way for future space travel. These planes—which broke the sound barrier and would send pilots all the way to the edge of space—helped NACA (and later NASA) develop the wherewithal to eventually take astronauts up and out of the Earth’s atmosphere altogether.
"It was during these experimental flights that everything from pressure suits and surface alloys to critical system instruments were all being tested and perfected. The site of this perfection was the Edwards Air Force Base, located in California. For Armstrong, it was an incredible time in which he could stretch his imagination to the limits as he tested out new and better equipment, constantly making improvements along the way.
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"The efforts were not without their risk, however, and very early on in Neil Armstrong’s tenure at the test site, he almost became a tragic fatality of the research he was taking part in. Armstrong was on board a huge Boeing B-29 Superfortress, tasked with dropping an experimental D-558-2 Skyrocket piloted by an experimental operator. The Skyrocket, as the name implies, was completely rocket-powered. It needed to be lifted high into the atmosphere and then dropped so that it could ignite its rocket engines and soar on to even higher altitudes on pure rocket power.
"Although the Skyrocket was an incredible craft, it was dependent on its mothership, the Superfortress, to get it into proper pole position. However, during this particular test flight, the Superfortress itself encountered technical problems. One of the airplane’s engines had failed. The Superfortress had multiple propeller-driven engines all along its wings, but if enough of them failed, the huge B-29 would not be able to stay aloft. To the alarm of the Superfortress crew, engine number four began to stall and then quit.
"Nevertheless, there was no turning back. The Skyrocket still had to be launched since landing the Superfortress with the Skyrocket still lodged underneath it would have been impossible. Making use of the cool, calm reasoning that Neil Armstrong would make so famous during his time with NASA, Armstrong diligently worked the controls until he was able to stabilize the craft well enough to launch the Skyrocket.
................................................................................................
"The Skyrocket was successfully released, but immediately thereafter, the Superfortress began to face more engine failures. Down to only one fully functioning engine, things looked decidedly grim. Fortunately, Armstrong and his co-pilot were able to use the remaining engine to slowly circle back down to the ground. It was a very delicate maneuver, and one wrong move would have meant disaster. Fortunately, the Superfortress touched down safely, and no one was hurt.
"Despite the major mishap, Neil Armstrong was eager to continue testing out even more cutting-edge aircraft technology. By this time, he and his wife were living in nearby Lancaster, California, although Armstrong would spend most of his time on the base. In 1957, he would take his first trip in the seat of a rocket-fueled craft by piloting the legendary Bell X-1B. Armstrong would fly this craft to the upper limits of Earth’s atmosphere, never ceasing in his efforts of making his dream of spaceflight a reality."
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
"It was on October 4, 1957, that Neil Armstrong, along with his fellow Americans, heard the news that the Soviet Union had launched a satellite in space called Sputnik 1. In retrospect, this might not seem like a big deal to consider. But this beeping, antennae-festooned metal ball of Soviet technology was groundbreaking at the time—it was the world’s first artificial satellite.
"Sputnik kickstarted the Space Race between the two superpowers, which would have both of them striving to see who could reach the final frontiers of space exploration first. Although American astronauts would ultimately win the race by landing on the Moon, the Russians managed to achieve many important firsts. Along with launching the first satellite, the Russians put the first living creature into orbit—a dog named Laika—and the first human being, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
................................................................................................
"Considering all of these impressive feats, many Americans were horrified at the idea that the U.S. might be getting left behind by its rival, the Soviet Union. For Neil Armstrong, eager to push the limits of U.S. engineering, the Sputnik scare seemed like just the kind of shot in the arm that was needed to get America serious about pushing the boundaries of flight to the next level. This was the stimulus required to get the American public behind space exploration.
"In the end, the test aircraft dubbed the X-15 played a big role in the outcome of the Space Race. This supersonic rocket-powered plane was able to reach the very edge of space, giving pilots a chance to test the maneuverability of rocket engines. These test flights also gave designers a better idea of what was needed as it pertained to space suits. While dealing with a lack of oxygen and volatile temperature shifts, the last kinks in what would become routine astronaut gear would be worked out. Neil Armstrong himself test-piloted the X-15 on November 30, 1960. The plane during this flight only went up some 43,000 feet (13 kilometers), but in April of 1962, Armstrong would take the X-15 up to the very edge of space to a height of over 207,000 feet (63 kilometers).
................................................................................................
"While Neil was up at the edge of space, pushing experimental craft to their limits, his wife Janet was on the ground, in the cabin they called home, raising the growing Armstrong family. Janet had given birth to a son—Eric—in 1957, followed by a daughter Karen in 1959. Neil certainly loved both of his children, but he was especially fond of Karen, whom he had affectionately nicknamed “Muffie.” As such, it would strike him as a terrible tragedy when she grew ill in 1961. Doctors had found an inoperable brain tumor and predicted she only had a few months left to live.
"The family would spend one last sad Christmas with Muffie in 1961 before she ultimately passed in January 1962. The effect on Neil and his wife was devastating. Neil was known his whole life for keeping his emotions largely to himself, but even his typically stoic exterior began to show some wear and tear from this sad ordeal. During his time of grief, he would finally reach a breaking point. One incident, in particular, would stand out. Neil had attended a small get-together at Purdue; it was a chance to rub shoulders with some of his former classmates. Many were now married, and some had children of their own.
"During the get-together, Armstrong encountered a little girl who was around the same age as Muffie. According to those at the gathering, Neil took one look at the girl, smiled, and then burst into tears, crying uncontrollably. His friends could never imagine stoic and calm Neil crying, yet here he was, suddenly bawling right in front of them. It was a hard thing to bear witness to, but nevertheless, they tried to comfort their old college friend as best they could.
"It was shortly after Muffie’s passing that Neil Armstrong decided to finalize his lifelong ambition. He put in an application with NASA’s latest undertaking, Project Gemini, and set his sights on becoming an astronaut."
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
"“I thought the attractions of being an astronaut were actually, not so much the Moon, but flying in a completely new medium.”
"—Neil Armstrong"
................................................................................................
"Neil Armstrong was officially recruited by the NASA Astronaut Corps on September 17, 1962. Armstrong, who was in his early 30s at the time, was eager to be part of what was becoming the biggest and most well-funded organization for space flight.
"Still, he was initially skeptical of NASA’s strategy of using multistage rockets rather than rocket-powered planes. He and his test pilot peers had, after all, been working on fixed-wing, rocket-powered craft for quite some time and had hoped that a rocket plane would one day be advanced enough to fly into space as easily as a jet can fly into the air. For them, this was the natural evolution from aircraft to spacecraft. To many of these rocket plane veterans, it seemed entirely unappealing to be strapped into a tiny capsule, on top of a rocket, with very little control during lift-off. Some even joked that NASA’s astronauts were little more than human props wedged inside a cramped capsule, or as they put it, “spam in a can.”
................................................................................................
"Armstrong himself resented the fact that after the re-entry of their “tin can” of a capsule into the Earth’s atmosphere, they had to splash down in the ocean and wait helplessly to be picked up. It’s said that at various points in his career as an astronaut, as he and colleagues waited in the water to be picked up by boat, Armstrong was heard complaining about the inability of a space capsule to fly back to Earth under its own power. Controlled re-entry would not be achieved until the advent of the Space Shuttle. As of this writing, however, the current space program can be said to be in a state of flux. The Space Shuttle has been retired, and private industries, such as billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Space X, are creating newer and more powerful rockets to once again launch space capsules out of the Earth’s atmosphere.
"At any rate, upon being accepted by NASA, Armstrong and his family made their way to Houston, Texas, where a brand new space center had been constructed. To Janet’s pleasant surprise, Neil—rather than moving them out to some remote tract of land, which had previously been the case—opted to move into a bustling neighborhood in a nice, fully furnished, and comfortable ranch house, where almost all of their neighbors were employed at the space center.
"Notoriously standoffish Neil Armstrong, it seems, had finally found a place where he felt truly at home among his peers in space flight. Here, he was completely open with his new neighbors and was a frequent guest at plenty of backyard barbecues. Janet would later recall these pleasant years as the most joyous she ever had with her husband. Despite the dangerous work Neil was taking part in, in his off hours, it was a time when they could relax, take a deep breath, and simply enjoy themselves in the company of others. They had a house with air conditioning, a nice fenced-in property, and even a backyard swimming pool.
"It was in this aesthetically pleasing environment that the Armstrongs would have another child—little Mark, who arrived in 1963. The peace and serenity of these early years in Texas would only be marred by one tragic mishap that occurred on April 22, 1964. Janet was always worried that her husband would be involved in some terrible accident during his work, but little did she know it would be an accidental mishap much closer to home that would prove disastrous.
................................................................................................
"On the night of April 22, the couple awoke to a start, only to realize that their house was on fire. Their room was already filling with smoke, the smell of which caused Neil and Janet to go from just barely awake to fully alert in seconds. Suddenly, the welfare of their little sleeping son Mark was at the forefront of their minds. Neil ran off to grab the child as well as his older brother while Janet desperately attempted to reach a phone so that she could call for help. This was before the better, more efficiently streamlined emergency services we enjoy today, and in the wee hours of the morning, Janet was unable to get anyone to pick up.
"Frustrated, Janet Armstrong dropped the phone and decided to simply yell for the neighbors. She ran outside and began pounding on the fence that separated the Armstrong property from their next-door neighbors and shouted into the darkness for help. Neighbors Ed and Pat White heard the ruckus, and in no time, Ed was seen leaping over the fence. Neil Armstrong may have coined the “one giant leap for mankind” expression, but it was Ed White who made one giant leap over a fence to help his neighbors during their time of need. Immediately seeing and smelling the smoke, Ed knew what to do; he grabbed a garden hose and began spraying the whole place down with water. Pat, in the meantime, had managed to get a hold of emergency services, and fire trucks were dispatched to the property.
"After the Armstrong house was destroyed by flames, the whole neighborhood offered their support. They were kind enough to donate their time, money, and whatever resources they had to help the Armstrongs get back on their feet as quickly and smoothly as possible. However, it must be mentioned that in a grim twist of fate Ed White would ultimately perish in 1967 when he, along with astronauts Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee, were burned up in an Apollo capsule due to an out-of-control fire."
They deserve to be remembered.
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................................................................................................
"“I think we’re going to the Moon because it’s in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It’s by the nature of his deep inner soul . . . we’re required to do these things just as salmon swim upstream.”
"—Neil Armstrong"
................................................................................................
"In the lead-up to the Moon landing, Neil Armstrong vigorously trained with his fellow astronauts. He also served as an intermittent spokesman, going to various public events and speaking of how important the cause of space travel was. Armstrong didn’t relish the role, but it was viewed as necessary to make sure that there was enough public interest to support the colossal budget that NASA required.
"Neil even made some unwanted headlines in this role when he was questioned over NASA’s decided lack of female astronauts. This was a pain point for NASA since the Russians had secured yet another first on June 16, 1963, by launching the first woman into space—Valentina Tereshkova. The Soviet Union had, in fact, already recruited five female cosmonauts for their space program. It was with this in mind that Neil was directly asked during one of his speeches how long it would take NASA to also send women aloft.
"Armstrong likely didn’t know quite how to answer the question, but he ended up suggesting that “someday” NASA would have female astronauts onboard their craft. This was, of course, an incredibly vague answer, yet it was almost treated like headline news at the time, as if recruitment was imminent. In reality, NASA’s “someday” would not arrive until female astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983.
................................................................................................
"Nevertheless, back in the early 1960s, Neil and his cohorts were laser-focused on getting to the Moon, and a major step in this process began with the first missions of Project Gemini. This program was a crucial dress rehearsal because it would see astronauts docking two separate craft together while in orbit. This was important because the same procedure would be necessary for the Moon landing; after the astronauts departed from the lunar surface, their lunar module would be required to dock with an orbiting craft to make the journey back to Earth.
"Gemini 1 launched in April 1964, but the second mission of Project Gemini was plagued with problems early on, ranging from adverse weather to malfunctioning equipment. The worst of which was a near-complete disaster that occurred when a hydraulic valve failed and could have caused a critical system failure were it not for an important safety mechanism that had just been outfitted, which instantly shut down the rocket ignition as soon as the issue was detected. After several delays, mishaps, and aborted launches, the green light was finally given on January 19, 1965. This was the day that Gemini 2 would achieve a successful launch.
................................................................................................
"It was the following year, in March of 1966, that Neil Armstrong would take part in the daring Gemini 8 mission, which would have two craft dock together in an attempt to learn the necessary maneuver for the upcoming Moon mission. The docking itself was carried out without a hitch, and Neil Armstrong and his co-pilot David Scott were absolutely exuberant, with Scott declaring it to be a real “smoothie” of a maneuver. Shortly thereafter, however, the craft began to go into an uncontrollable spin.
"After their craft disengaged from the docking craft, it continued to spin, causing the astronauts on board to become dizzy and terribly ill as they struggled to get their bearings. The situation was so bad that it was feared that if it wasn’t corrected soon, the astronauts might pass out. Needless to say, if the crew of this wildly spinning craft lost consciousness, they were as good as doomed. Fortunately enough, Neil Armstrong kept his composure and manipulated the controls to get the craft to stop spinning.
"Back at NASA, ground control was quite concerned and ordered the crew to cut the mission short and head back to Earth. Armstrong was deeply disappointed and felt as if they had somehow failed during this crucial step. He also worried that this perceived failure would somehow thwart the entire Gemini program. Fortunately, it would later be discovered that it was a malfunctioning thruster that had been the issue, and Neil nor any of the other crew was to blame. It was just a matter of fine-tuning the hardware, and the missions would continue as intended. Neil Armstrong was still on his way to the Moon."
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
"“I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.”
"—Neil Armstrong"
................................................................................................
"The year 1968 would be a big one for Neil Armstrong and the rest of the Apollo crew. It was this year that they would continue to test and tease out many of the kinks in what would ultimately culminate in the Moon landing. At the tail end of that year, in fact, the greatest dress rehearsal of all would occur: Apollo 8 would launch an actual flyby of the Moon. They weren’t going to step foot on the Moon but were simply flying by, scouting out a good place to land in the future, before heading back home.
"On the heels of this successful flyby mission, Neil Armstrong was made the leader of Apollo 11 and the team that would attempt landing on the Moon. Considering his experience, expertise, and demonstration of more than able stewardship, his selection as leader of the mission wasn’t much of a surprise. Joining Armstrong on this mission would be fellow astronauts Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. Before even leaving ground, these three men would rehearse and repeatedly drill what their mission entailed. They would do so in realistic simulators, where they were free to make mistakes and miscalculations that in real life would have been fatal. Neil Armstrong himself is said to have made just such a fatal miscalculation while using a simulator, resulting in him crashing right into the Moon. This was a worrisome development to be sure, but when push came to shove, Armstrong would prove to the world that he had what it took to get the job done.
................................................................................................
"On July 16, 1969, Armstrong and his crew got up early, had breakfast, and then headed over to the launch pad. Upon their arrival, they entered a special elevator that allowed them to rise several stories until they reached the very top of the rocket, upon which their space capsule was perched. The men then walked across a gangway, entered the capsule, and prepared for blast-off.
"Mission control counted down the seconds until an explosion of rocket fuel blew out of the bottom of the craft, and the ship began to rise up and away from the launch tower. The first stage of the rocket launched the fiery ship up some 40 miles (65 kilometers) before its fuel was expended, and the first stage was jettisoned. The craft’s second stage engine then fired up to send the ship hurtling even farther and on into Earth orbit. When the second stage dropped, the third and final rocket engine fired, sending the craft on course to the Moon.
"The ship entered the Moon’s gravitational pull a few days later before reaching lunar orbit on July 20. On this date, with Michael Collins manning the controls of the orbiting craft (Columbia), Armstrong and Aldrin boarded the lunar landing module, referred to as the Eagle. The craft made a slow descent to the lunar surface, and upon landing, Armstrong would issue the now-famous proclamation, “The Eagle has landed.”
................................................................................................
"Even though the craft was being constantly assisted by onboard navigational computers, safely landing the lunar module was an incredibly challenging task. It called for nothing short of a perfect landing. Even if Armstrong and Aldrin survived a crash landing, they would effectively be stranded on the lunar surface. If such a thing had occurred, Michael Collins orbiting the Moon would have only been able to watch helplessly from above. There was no way the orbiting craft would have been able to swoop down and pick up the stranded astronauts. The only way for them to leave the lunar surface was to rocket back up; if the lunar module was destroyed, Armstrong and Aldrin would be as good as lost.
"The stark reality of this fact had then-President Richard Nixon draft two separate speeches for the Moon landing. One was a speech of triumph, which he did indeed end up reading after the successful landing. The other alternative speech was drafted in the event that Armstrong and Aldrin were forever lost and stranded on the lunar surface. This sad, dark speech would have had Nixon speaking of how “Mother Earth” had “dared send two of her sons into the unknown” only to have them forever entombed on the “corner of another world.”"
The president who had set it in motion was JFK, and he's so remembered. It's a tad startling to be reminded that the actual event was during the Nixon years, because it wasn't accidental that his era is inextricably linked in everybody's consciousness with Watergate and it's exposure resulting in his impeachment.
................................................................................................
"It was not exactly an uplifting message, and thankfully Nixon never had to read it because Armstrong and Aldrin would indeed successfully land the lunar module without sustaining any damage to the craft. For a while, though, it was rough going, and it was only due to the quick thinking of Armstrong that a crash landing was avoided. The module’s onboard computers had the craft headed to what Armstrong thought was a far too rocky section of the Moon. As such, he disengaged the computer and, at the last minute, brought the craft in for a manual landing, where he executed a perfect touch-down on a nice and smooth surface.
"Upon their successful landing, Neil and Buzz had to quickly go about their business on the Moon. It has long been wondered why the engagement appeared to be so rushed, but according to later testimony, there were two main reasons. Firstly, it was due to the lack of sustainable oxygen for the astronauts. They only had a certain amount of oxygen, and they had to make sure they met their objectives on the lunar surface before they ran out. Secondly, no one knew for sure how the spacesuits would cope with the Moon’s extreme temperatures, which can range from about 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 Celsius) to -200 degrees Fahrenheit (-130 Celsius).
................................................................................................
"It was Neil Armstrong himself who made the first step onto the Moon. He signified the feat by acknowledging both the unique moment given to him as well as the momentous occasion it presented to all of humanity. Armstrong expressed these feelings by stating, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” This quote, which Armstrong came up with on his own, became a source of great discussion since the radio transmission did not pick the “a” before “man,” rendering the statement, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Perhaps Neil, in the heat of the moment, misspoke, or maybe the “a” was simply obscured by radio static—as of yet, there is no way of knowing for certain."
Why not realise that it was intentional, deliberate, intended to mean far more than mere "one small step for a man"?
"Whatever the case may be, Armstrong was fulfilling a personal dream of his, but he also understood the larger role he was playing for humanity; some 600 million of his fellow human beings were, in fact, anxiously watching this moment on their television screens. Although it was American astronauts who had landed on the Moon, it wasn’t their triumph alone; it was a feat collectively experienced by all of humankind. It’s often been said that as divisive as the 1960s may have been, it was the 1969 Moon landing that truly brought a sense of commonality to people. The feeling was universal and quite simple; two individuals from Earth had made the trip to the Moon, and all of Earth stood in awe of what they had just borne witness to."
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
"After the Eagle successfully touched down on the lunar surface, Armstrong, followed by Aldrin, stepped foot on the Moon. Here, everything was new for them, and their first task was simply to get a feel for what walking on the Moon was like. Prior to their stepping foot on the lunar surface, there was some debate as to how much surface tension the Moon actually had. Some insisted it must be quite solid, while others argued that there could be areas as soft as quicksand where the unwary astronauts might sink. Fortunately for Armstrong and Aldrin, the surface appeared to be quite stable, and besides being a bit lighter due to the Moon’s reduction in gravity, they were able to walk and even hop along the lunar ground without any trouble at all.
"After these first basic experiments in walking on the Moon, Armstrong laid down a special plaque on the lunar surface. The plaque was inscribed with the date of the landing and a simple message of how human beings from Earth had landed on the Moon and had done so with entirely peaceful intentions. This narrative of peace was quite important during the Cold War since prior to the American landing on the Moon, there were real fears of the militarization of the Moon. It was in light of such musings that NASA deemed it important to clearly demonstrate that the Moon landing was a peaceful mission of exploration and not one of military conquest. Even so, Armstrong and Aldrin’s next gesture—the planting of an American flag—would be seen by some as a sign of the United States attempting to somehow claim ownership of the Moon.
"At any rate, for two and a half hours, the astronauts explored a small corner of the Moon, collected some rock samples, and conducted some basic experiments before returning to the Eagle. They would then begin the arduous process of lifting off the lunar surface and docking back with the orbiting craft piloted by Michael Collins. The real moment of truth occurred when they were back in the Eagle, wringing their hands over whether or not the lander would still function well enough to launch them up to the orbiting craft.
................................................................................................
"Although they discovered that the ignition switch for the ascent engine had broken, they were able to start the launch by using part of a pen. After the appropriate controls were activated, the craft’s thrusters fired, and they were sent aloft without any problems. They then successfully with the orbiter and were greeted by an entirely relieved Michael Collins, who welcomed them back onto the craft that would take them home. The Eagle had now served its purpose and was jettisoned and left to drift back to the Moon, where it would eventually crash and stand as a further testament to humanity’s arrival on the Moon."
That should read "They then successfully docked", or "They then docked successfully".
................................................................................................
"With everything in order, Michael Collins toggled the controls on the orbiter and sent it flying back toward the Earth. On July 24, Armstrong and company then splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. They were seasick and entirely exhausted at this point and were eager to finally get out of the cramped confines of the capsule. Nevertheless, they patiently waited to be picked up by the recovery team. They were picked up by way of a helicopter, which sent them to a waiting naval craft, the U.S.S. Hornet, where they would make the last leg of their journey.
"It seemed that Armstrong and his fellow Apollo astronauts had gone full circle: from the most advanced tools of exploration (spacecraft) to the most ancient (boat). Upon boarding the Hornet, these astronauts were then ferried back to dry land, where they would have to stay in quarantine out of fear of the possibility that they may have picked up some unknown germs from the Moon. Such things might almost seem laughable today, but it just goes to show how much of an unknown territory these brave explorers had stumbled into.
................................................................................................
"The astronauts remained in quarantine for three weeks before they were allowed to walk freely. It was a cumbersome burden for anyone to have placed on them, but these brave souls knew this would be the case in advance, and they gladly agreed to the stint in isolation as yet another part of their incredible journey. Upon their release, these intrepid explorers were celebrated as heroes and toured the country to the delight of jubilant crowds of admirers. At one event in Chicago alone, it’s said that the astronauts were greeted by a crowd of over two million people.
"But not everyone was enthusiastic about the Moon mission. At times, protesters gathered to express their disdain for what they viewed as a waste of money on space exploration, which they argued could be used for domestic programs at home. Armstrong even met some of these critics face-to-face during his trip to Chicago. Addressing them directly, he argued the benefits of space exploration for scientific advancement, as well as improving social cohesion at home. But what really seemed to melt hearts was when Armstrong spoke of how space exploration was really an exploration of our own inner being. He argued that the better we understand the cosmos, the better we understand ourselves. These remarks struck a chord, and even those who had gathered to protest began to applaud. Armstrong, although often pegged as the strong silent type, was indeed an impassioned speaker when the opportunity arose. His words would later be echoed by the likes of Carl Sagan, with similar brilliance.
................................................................................................
"It was shortly after this epic speech that Neil and his compatriots headed back to California to get to spend some much-needed quality time with their family members. This was not before being treated to an extravagant state dinner, where each was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon. The next day, the astronauts headed over to Houston to do a segment for the TV news program Meet the Press. It was only after this that they finally allowed themselves to have some private time on their own.
"In order to avoid further attention, Armstrong and his family spent a relaxing few weeks at the private ranch of Learjet mogul Harry Combs. Here, they were able to ride horses, walk trails, and enjoy the quiet side of life as they reconnected with nature. Most importantly, they were able to reconnect with themselves. Neil and Janet’s marriage had been quite strained by the nonstop training for missions that had taken place during the lead-up to the Moon landing. As incredible as landing on the Moon was, the Armstrongs were now looking forward to simply being able to catch their breath and catch up with each other.
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................................................................................................
"“I fully expected that, by the end of the century, we would have achieved substantially more than we actually did.”
"—Neil Armstrong"
True. Probably most did, after the tremendous leap of landing and stepping out on the Moon - such as landing and stepping out on not only Mars but other planets, in particular outer ones.
In the event, what was actually achieved was far more long-term and farsighted, in various missions such as Pioneer and, all the more so, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 being priorotised over the obvious alternative steps, of orbiting and - or - landing on other planets of Solar System, which latter has been also proceeded with, however slowly it'd seem to be so.
................................................................................................
"After leaving these powerful organizations, Armstrong picked up a simple teaching post for the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Word had leaked out to the press ahead of his first class session, and to Armstrong’s chagrin, his first day of teaching was plagued with reporters wandering around on campus. Nevertheless, Armstrong attempted to make a good show of paying them no heed. With cameras flashing, he marched right up to his class nestled in Rhodes Hall, and ignoring questions being shouted out at him, he entered the classroom and shut the door behind him, leaving the news reporters out in the cold."
Good show, Armstrong! Very proper stance for a true member of academia!
"Soon the reporters lost interest, and Neil Armstrong was able to prove himself as a wonderfully talented professor. During his tenure at the university, he also continued to push his vision for future space missions. He declared to all who would listen that the Moon landing he took part in should not be a one-off journey. He discussed how space travel should be made routine, and deep space exploration, in particular, should be made a priority."
That's exactly what seems to have been the direction that NASA proceeded with, since then.
................................................................................................
"Many scientific advancements and inventions would indeed come from space exploration. Among these are cordless tools, solar cells, memory foam, wireless headsets, smaller cameras and computers, and ways to purify air and water. Neil Armstrong, for one, worked to create a pump to circulate blood in heart-lung machines and artificial hearts. His inspiration for this was the so-called Apollo pump, which circulated cooling water through his spacesuit during the Moon mission. Neil Armstrong was known for innovative feats of engineering, but his concept of adapting the spacesuit for use in hospitals on Earth was indeed quite extraordinary.
"Armstrong would go on to teach for eight years before leaving the profession in 1980. Although he never gave any official reason as to why he left when he did, some have surmised that it was due to politics. Neil Armstrong had largely kept his political views to himself. The closest he came to speaking on political ideology was in a lecture dating back to 1976 when he spoke of the need to loosen government regulation in order to free up creativity. His words are couched in vague terms, but one can get the sense of a conservative railing against big government. Otherwise, Armstrong was mostly tight-lipped on his political views. It’s said that the campus at which he taught, however, had a faculty that was becoming increasingly politicized, leading Armstrong to desire his extrication from it altogether.
................................................................................................
"In 1979, just prior to his departure, Armstrong suffered a terrible accident. He was working with some farm equipment on his property when his ring finger got caught up in the machinery. The finger was ripped right off, but Neil had the presence of mind to grab up the severed digit and put it on ice despite the pain and fountain of blood that ensued, knowing that there was the possibility it could be surgically reattached. Neil guessed right since, after a trip to a state-of-the-art hospital and a top-of-the-line surgeon, the severed finger was indeed restored to his hand. His injury explains why he lessened his course load in 1979, but it still doesn’t really explain his sudden departure in 1980.
"At any rate, just before leaving, Neil Armstrong took the time to give a powerful commencement speech for that year’s graduating class. After quietly retiring from his teaching post, Armstrong made his next major public debut in 1983, on what was the 25th anniversary of the founding of NASA. In commemoration of this milestone, he appeared in a TV special hosted by Bob Hope, which was broadcast on NBC. A couple of years later, Armstrong again made headlines in a major way when he joined a 1985 expedition to the North Pole. The expedition consisted of a veritable all-star cast of explorers which included Armstrong, Patrick Morrow, Steve Fossett, and the New Zealand climbing expert Edmund Hillary.
................................................................................................
"Right on the heels of this great adventure, Armstrong was recruited by the Reagan administration to sit on the board of the National Commission on Space. It was a consulting gig and would have Armstrong giving presentations on future aspirations of space travel in a very similar vein as he had done in the past for NASA. Armstrong’s vision was once again far-reaching as he argued not only for manned exploration of Mars but for eventual colonization of the entire solar system as a whole.
"Neil Armstrong was excited at the future prospects of space travel, and for a while, it seemed that just about anything was possible. A short time later, however, on January 28, 1986, the horror of the Challenger disaster transpired. The Challenger Space Shuttle was carrying a crew of both astronauts and specially picked civilians when a major malfunction occurred right after take-off. The shuttle erupted in a fiery explosion, killing all onboard.
"This event reminded the public of the risk involved with space travel and, in many ways, cast a dark shadow over the recently voiced ambition for the future of space exploration. In the aftermath, Armstrong himself would be placed on an investigative panel tasked with getting to the bottom of why the Challenger disaster took place. Armstrong’s group cited bureaucratic failures and dubious safety inspections as contributing factors, and they came up with several recommendations to NASA in order to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
................................................................................................
"Overall, the Challenger disaster was quite damaging both to public enthusiasm and governmental funding for space exploration. Nevertheless, when the 20th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing rolled around in 1989, Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin were sure to be front and center, both commemorating the event and calling for more funding for future missions in space.
"Life went on in the meantime, and the following year, Armstrong was touched by the grief of personal loss when his parents perished one after the other. First, his father died in February of 1990, and then his mother subsequently passed just a few months later in May of that same year. It was during the strain of these two events that Neil’s marriage also found itself on the rocks, with the couple separating before ultimately finalizing their divorce in 1994.
"Armstrong ended up marrying another woman—Carol Held Knight—in 1994, whom he had been introduced to through a mutual friend. Carol’s husband had recently passed away, just prior to her meeting Neil. Both were suffering from a sense of loss and seemed to find solace in each other’s company. Neil would remain happily married to Carol for the rest of his life."
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................................................................................................
"In his later years, Armstrong largely stepped away from public scrutiny. His health had begun to decline; he suffered a heart attack in the early 1990s while skiing in Aspen and continued to have cardiovascular issues afterward. It was this deteriorating condition that culminated in bypass surgery in 2012. The operation was deemed necessary due to recurringly clogged arteries. Initially, the procedure was deemed a success, but shortly after, dire complications arose, which led to Armstrong’s death on August 25, 2012, at 82 years of age.
"The loss was a sad one for anyone that knew of him, but Neil Armstrong had led a full and rich life. Whether he was strapped to a fighter jet or landing on the Moon, Armstrong had stared death in the face on multiple occasions and survived. Ever since he was a boy in Ohio, dreaming of flying up into the ether, he desired to reach new and untold horizons. No matter what, Neil Armstrong was always pushing for the next great frontier.
"Armstrong may have been a bit disappointed in the lack of visible progress in the space program in his later years, but nevertheless, even after Neil himself made his final departure into the great beyond, we can still clearly see the trail that this incredible pioneer has blazed. ... "
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Table of Contents
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Introduction
Early Life: A Bright Child
Fighting in the Korean War
Near-Death Experiences
The Death of His Daughter
Welcome to NASA
March to the Moon
The Eagle has Landed
To the Moon and Back
Life after the Landing
Conclusion
Bibliography
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REVIEW
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Introduction
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"Neil Alden Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He was the eldest of three children born to Viola and Stephen Armstrong, an auditor for the Ohio state government. Upon his birth, it was immediately noticed that little Neil shared a resemblance to his father, and it’s said that he had that same set of powerful Armstrong jaws. His eyes, however, were just like his mother’s, and he would use them to ceaselessly cast his gaze about as he explored his surroundings.
"Viola would later recall Neil being a calm and peaceful child. He was perhaps a bit introverted, but that introspection was merely a sign of how thoughtful he was. The man who would one day step foot on the Moon—and forever alter our cosmic perspective as a consequence—was indeed a natural-born philosopher. Neil was also a voracious reader. As soon as he learned to read, he browsed through just about every book he could, and it’s said that by the time he was in elementary school, he had already read more than 100 books. He was well ahead of his peers, and his second-grade teacher would later recall how Neil Armstrong had read books that were way beyond his age level.
"Neil’s smarts were indeed noticed early on, and he was deemed far enough along to skip the second grade entirely, starting third grade when he was seven years old. Neil was an overachiever, and he never set his sights on merely what was obtainable but rather always sought to push things to the next level. Never willing to settle for the status quo, this future moonwalker was eagerly looking toward the next horizon."
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December 20, 2022 - December 20, 2022.
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Chapter 1. Early Life: A Bright Child
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"“Neil read a lot as a child, and that was his escape. It wasn’t an escape from anything; it was an escape to something, into a world of imagination.”
"—June Armstrong"
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"Neil Armstrong was confident and assertive at a young age. He was only ten years old when he held down his first regular job, working as a groundskeeper at a graveyard in 1940. Most kids might have been a little spooked to mow grass between gravestones, but not Neil Armstrong. From an early age, he was ready to make something of himself.
"Armstrong also learned early on that even if one task wasn’t the most glamourous or desirable, if he worked hard enough, it could open the door to another. It wasn’t long after he put in time at the graveyard that he was able to get hired on for the decidedly more pleasant job of cleaning out mixers at a local bakery. Here, Neil truly enjoyed his work, and most especially, he enjoyed all of the free pastries and baked goods he would get at the end of his shift.
................................................................................................
"Along with school and working part-time jobs, Armstrong was also an eager participant in the Boy Scouts. He would later recall how after the news got out about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Boy Scouts recruited youngsters like him to help do what they could to aid the war effort. Neil himself was, of course, too young to fight, but he and his fellow scouts often lent their services. One of the most interesting volunteer efforts of his group was to actively scan the skies for enemy aircraft.
"Back in 1941, no one knew for sure whether there would be another attack on the American homeland, as had happened at Pearl Harbor, and the scouts were told to keep their eyes peeled for any unusual-looking planes. This meant that they had to be trained to know the difference between American craft and the craft of a potential adversary. These efforts were essentially Neil Armstrong’s first foray into studying aviation.
................................................................................................
"Neil carried on his interest into his high school years at Wapakoneta’s Blume High School, and in 1944, he began training to be a pilot at the local airfield, paying for these lessons with money he had earned himself. These efforts would lead to Neil gaining an actual certification in flight by the time he turned 16 years old. Even while his peers were struggling to get a driver’s license, Neil Armstrong—ever the overachiever—upped the ante by going out and getting a pilot’s license. Neil was already up in the air flying solo before he drove his first car.
"It was around this time that Armstrong took up an interest in astronomy. He was seeking an astronomy merit badge from the Boy Scouts, and in order to get it, he went to a local astronomer named Jake Zint, who had built an observatory on top of his house. With Zint’s permission, Armstrong used his equipment to gaze at the stars, but interestingly enough, what caught young Neil Armstrong’s attention more than anything else was the Moon. He was captivated by its mysterious glow.
................................................................................................
"Zint later claimed that Armstrong even openly speculated that perhaps there was life somewhere on the lunar surface. According to Zint, after discussing the possibility further, Neil ultimately decided that while the Moon was most likely not capable of sustaining life, Mars perhaps could. In later years, such an exchange from Armstrong would have caused a stir, but back then, Neil was just a precocious teen daydreaming, to whom others paid little heed.
"At any rate, Neil Armstrong got his merit badge and continued to plow right ahead in his studies at school. He graduated high school early, and at just 17 years old, he was enrolled to study aeronautical engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Incredibly enough, it’s said that Armstrong actually flew his own small plane to the local West Lafayette airport to register. Neil Armstrong was college bound."
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December 20, 2022 - December 20, 2022.
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Chapter 2. Fighting in the Korean War
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"“Pilots take no special joy in walking. Pilots like flying.”
"—Neil Armstrong"
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"Neil Armstrong may have been the first man on the Moon, but he was only the second in his own family to go to college. For Armstrong and his relatives, this was a great achievement in and of itself. Armstrong’s good grades had certainly paid off, for it was by way of a special scholarship called the Holloway Plan that Armstrong had the opportunity to seek higher learning. This scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Navy, would play itself out in seven years’ time. It required two years at school and then three years spent serving in some capacity in the Navy, followed by completing the last two years of a four-year degree.
"His interlude of service in the Navy occurred in 1949 when a 19-year-old Neil Armstrong was shipped off to a naval base in Pensacola, Florida. Neil was excited to learn more about the fighter planes stationed there, but the experience was eye-opening in more ways than one. Pensacola, right off the Gulf Coast of Florida, was bustling in those days and was loaded with plenty of bars and nightclubs. There were certainly plenty of temptations for young men stationed far from home. Neil, however, was typically more interested in the fresh smell of jet fuel on base than the open air of Pensacola’s beaches and its nightlife. He was known to enjoy a good swim or two, and his friends later recalled how he would swim way out into the deep, away from everyone else, until he was just an obscure spec of humanity floating out in the distance.
................................................................................................
"Nevertheless, Armstrong’s real joy was most certainly in his work on planes. As soon as he was given his customary uniform of khaki clothes and a slide rule, he busied himself learning all the specs of the new fighter jets that were being readied for the next war. That war—the Korean War—would come soon enough. Hostilities had broken out on the Korean Peninsula on June 25, 1950, when the North Koreans launched a sudden invasion of the U.S.-backed South Korea.
"It was just a few days after the outbreak of the war that then-ensign Neil Armstrong was placed on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Essex and sent sailing toward Korea. Armstrong had already spent much valuable time in training, learning the basics such as how to land on an aircraft carrier and, in particular, how to fly the Grumman F9F Panther, which was the go-to fighter jet at the time for U.S. forces. It was this craft—only recently equipped with an ejection seat, should things go awry—that Neil would use to go on both surveillance flights, as well as some limited bombing runs, for the U.S. Armed Forces.
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"The mothership—the mighty aircraft carrier Essex—that carried both Neil Armstrong and the craft he would fly had parked itself in the Sea of Japan in prime position for aircraft to launch off its decks and conduct raids on North Korean positions. These raids would have Armstrong flying his jet low to the ground as he blew up roads, bridges, supply depots, and other pieces of infrastructure important to the North Koreans.
"It was a supply depot that was the target of one of Neil’s first missions. He dived down low at his target with his plane’s 20-millimeter guns blazing, strafing structures and no doubt human beings with bullets. If Armstrong ever regretted his exploits during the war, he didn’t let on that he did. He most likely understood the consequences of combat and knew full well that if he had not disabled these enemy targets, it would mean the deaths of countless American troops. Armstrong methodically continued to meet the objectives that his superior officers had given him, and during this foray, 21-year-old Neil Armstrong was determined not to disappoint. He circled several times, doing significant damage to the enemy positions.
................................................................................................
"During his final run circling back over the targets, however, enemy anti-aircraft fire managed to hit the front of his jet. The damage was extensive and knocked out a special navigational system on Neil’s jet called the elevator controls. Fortunately, Neil Armstrong had read up enough on the specs of this aircraft beforehand to know that he could manually toggle tiny flaps into position on his wings to prevent a complete nose dive of his craft. This was the brilliant engineering mind of Armstrong coming to life to stave off complete and utter disaster.
"All the same, during this struggle, he had dropped down quite low into a valley. It was at this low altitude that he managed to plow right into a bit of cabling that had been strung up into the air. It remains unclear if this was a telephone line from a communication tower or, as some accounts suggest, a purposeful booby trap set up to entangle low-flying craft. Whatever the case may be, the impact at this speed was enough to slice off a chunk of one of Armstrong’s wings. He was barely able to stabilize his plane enough to keep it aloft.
................................................................................................
"Fortunately, his wingmen noticed his distress and broke off their attack to shepherd their comrade out of harm’s way. As Neil limped through the skies, he realized his craft was much too heavy to keep aloft in its damaged state. As such, he took immediate action by toggling controls to release the heavy cannons on his plane, as well as all of his ammunition. He also tried to drop the rockets perched under his wings but could not get them to respond to his controls. He realized that the release mechanism must have been damaged when his plane was hit. This created even graver concern since it was possible that the live munitions he carried could suddenly blow, killing him in the process.
"Nevertheless, Neil Armstrong kept his cool, and in the same methodical manner that he would employ later on as an astronaut, he mentally checked off the boxes of what he could do and refused to panic over the things he could not control. Under his calm and steady hand, he managed to fly the crippled craft as close to friendly territory as possible before he was forced to press the button that would launch his ejection seat. After slamming his first finger down on the controls to eject, his seat shot up out of the doomed jetfighter, and Neil was aloft."
What about the wingman?
................................................................................................
"Relying on a combination of adrenaline and training, Armstrong then kicked away the seat and opened up his parachute. The chute whipped around wildly, sending him into a dizzying spin as he descended. Just in case he was seized by the North Koreans, Armstrong was prepared for any contingency. Fortunately enough for him, though, he ended up landing just south of enemy lines. Instead of being apprehended by hostile forces, he was greeted by a local rice farmer. The farmer was not only friendly, but he actually ran up to Armstrong to hand him back his helmet, which had crashed to the ground separate from its wearer.
"Neil Armstrong was then picked up by a recovery team and sent back to the Essex, where he would be debriefed and have time to recuperate. The recuperation itself only lasted a few hours since Armstrong was back in the air the following day."
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December 20, 2022 - December 20, 2022.
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Chapter 3. Near-Death Experiences
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"In the fall of 1952, a 22-year-old Neil Armstrong—now a Korean War veteran—returned to the West Lafayette campus of Purdue University to finish up his coursework. He had completed his obligatory service to the Navy, fulfilling the terms of his scholarship, and was ready to earn his degree.
"For his last leg at Purdue University, Armstrong hooked up with a Purdue fraternity—Phi Delta Theta—and moved into a frat house on campus. He had come back to campus with some rather deep pockets due to the hazardous duty pay he had received from the military. Some young men might have been tempted to splurge the money and go on a spending spree or perhaps go partying with their fellow frat brothers, but this wasn’t the case for Armstrong. Instead, he was more determined than ever to finish his degree and become seriously involved in the aeronautics industry.
................................................................................................
"During his final run at Purdue University, Neil Armstrong hunkered down and made sure that he got good grades. He also joined up with the so-called American Rocket Society, which was a group of rocket enthusiasts on campus. After a while, however, even the dedicated Armstrong realized that his social life was a bit lacking. As such, he proposed to his frat brothers that they hook up with the Purdue sorority Alpha Chi Omega to put on a variety show. Of all things, Neil suggested they form a singing troupe. This future Moon walker was indeed going to try his luck as a melodic crooner, belting out hard-hitting harmonies for his fellow college students.
"The singing troupe was not only a chance for Armstrong and company to try their luck at singing, of course, but also to fraternize with the ladies of the sorority. One member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority in particular—Janet Shearon—would go on to become Neil Armstrong’s wife. Janet just so happened to belong to the sorority that Armstrong’s fraternity had chosen to partner with, and soon after their initial introduction, the two were bumping into each other rather frequently. Their attraction for each other was quite clear, but Neil Armstrong, always slow to action when it came to serious social commitment, would draw the situation out as long as possible, letting several months pass by before he entered into a serious relationship with his newfound love interest. The couple would take even longer to get married, not tying the knot until 1956.
................................................................................................
"In the meantime, Armstrong finished his studies and graduated from Purdue University in 1955. With his Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering degree in hand, he began a new career as a test pilot and engineer for NACA (National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics). This organization was the direct precursor to what would ultimately evolve into NASA. Here, Armstrong would take part in testing out the exciting new X-1 series of rocket planes that would pave the way for future space travel. These planes—which broke the sound barrier and would send pilots all the way to the edge of space—helped NACA (and later NASA) develop the wherewithal to eventually take astronauts up and out of the Earth’s atmosphere altogether.
"It was during these experimental flights that everything from pressure suits and surface alloys to critical system instruments were all being tested and perfected. The site of this perfection was the Edwards Air Force Base, located in California. For Armstrong, it was an incredible time in which he could stretch his imagination to the limits as he tested out new and better equipment, constantly making improvements along the way.
................................................................................................
"The efforts were not without their risk, however, and very early on in Neil Armstrong’s tenure at the test site, he almost became a tragic fatality of the research he was taking part in. Armstrong was on board a huge Boeing B-29 Superfortress, tasked with dropping an experimental D-558-2 Skyrocket piloted by an experimental operator. The Skyrocket, as the name implies, was completely rocket-powered. It needed to be lifted high into the atmosphere and then dropped so that it could ignite its rocket engines and soar on to even higher altitudes on pure rocket power.
"Although the Skyrocket was an incredible craft, it was dependent on its mothership, the Superfortress, to get it into proper pole position. However, during this particular test flight, the Superfortress itself encountered technical problems. One of the airplane’s engines had failed. The Superfortress had multiple propeller-driven engines all along its wings, but if enough of them failed, the huge B-29 would not be able to stay aloft. To the alarm of the Superfortress crew, engine number four began to stall and then quit.
"Nevertheless, there was no turning back. The Skyrocket still had to be launched since landing the Superfortress with the Skyrocket still lodged underneath it would have been impossible. Making use of the cool, calm reasoning that Neil Armstrong would make so famous during his time with NASA, Armstrong diligently worked the controls until he was able to stabilize the craft well enough to launch the Skyrocket.
................................................................................................
"The Skyrocket was successfully released, but immediately thereafter, the Superfortress began to face more engine failures. Down to only one fully functioning engine, things looked decidedly grim. Fortunately, Armstrong and his co-pilot were able to use the remaining engine to slowly circle back down to the ground. It was a very delicate maneuver, and one wrong move would have meant disaster. Fortunately, the Superfortress touched down safely, and no one was hurt.
"Despite the major mishap, Neil Armstrong was eager to continue testing out even more cutting-edge aircraft technology. By this time, he and his wife were living in nearby Lancaster, California, although Armstrong would spend most of his time on the base. In 1957, he would take his first trip in the seat of a rocket-fueled craft by piloting the legendary Bell X-1B. Armstrong would fly this craft to the upper limits of Earth’s atmosphere, never ceasing in his efforts of making his dream of spaceflight a reality."
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December 20, 2022 - December 20, 2022.
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Chapter 4. The Death of His Daughter
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"It was on October 4, 1957, that Neil Armstrong, along with his fellow Americans, heard the news that the Soviet Union had launched a satellite in space called Sputnik 1. In retrospect, this might not seem like a big deal to consider. But this beeping, antennae-festooned metal ball of Soviet technology was groundbreaking at the time—it was the world’s first artificial satellite.
"Sputnik kickstarted the Space Race between the two superpowers, which would have both of them striving to see who could reach the final frontiers of space exploration first. Although American astronauts would ultimately win the race by landing on the Moon, the Russians managed to achieve many important firsts. Along with launching the first satellite, the Russians put the first living creature into orbit—a dog named Laika—and the first human being, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
................................................................................................
"Considering all of these impressive feats, many Americans were horrified at the idea that the U.S. might be getting left behind by its rival, the Soviet Union. For Neil Armstrong, eager to push the limits of U.S. engineering, the Sputnik scare seemed like just the kind of shot in the arm that was needed to get America serious about pushing the boundaries of flight to the next level. This was the stimulus required to get the American public behind space exploration.
"In the end, the test aircraft dubbed the X-15 played a big role in the outcome of the Space Race. This supersonic rocket-powered plane was able to reach the very edge of space, giving pilots a chance to test the maneuverability of rocket engines. These test flights also gave designers a better idea of what was needed as it pertained to space suits. While dealing with a lack of oxygen and volatile temperature shifts, the last kinks in what would become routine astronaut gear would be worked out. Neil Armstrong himself test-piloted the X-15 on November 30, 1960. The plane during this flight only went up some 43,000 feet (13 kilometers), but in April of 1962, Armstrong would take the X-15 up to the very edge of space to a height of over 207,000 feet (63 kilometers).
................................................................................................
"While Neil was up at the edge of space, pushing experimental craft to their limits, his wife Janet was on the ground, in the cabin they called home, raising the growing Armstrong family. Janet had given birth to a son—Eric—in 1957, followed by a daughter Karen in 1959. Neil certainly loved both of his children, but he was especially fond of Karen, whom he had affectionately nicknamed “Muffie.” As such, it would strike him as a terrible tragedy when she grew ill in 1961. Doctors had found an inoperable brain tumor and predicted she only had a few months left to live.
"The family would spend one last sad Christmas with Muffie in 1961 before she ultimately passed in January 1962. The effect on Neil and his wife was devastating. Neil was known his whole life for keeping his emotions largely to himself, but even his typically stoic exterior began to show some wear and tear from this sad ordeal. During his time of grief, he would finally reach a breaking point. One incident, in particular, would stand out. Neil had attended a small get-together at Purdue; it was a chance to rub shoulders with some of his former classmates. Many were now married, and some had children of their own.
"During the get-together, Armstrong encountered a little girl who was around the same age as Muffie. According to those at the gathering, Neil took one look at the girl, smiled, and then burst into tears, crying uncontrollably. His friends could never imagine stoic and calm Neil crying, yet here he was, suddenly bawling right in front of them. It was a hard thing to bear witness to, but nevertheless, they tried to comfort their old college friend as best they could.
"It was shortly after Muffie’s passing that Neil Armstrong decided to finalize his lifelong ambition. He put in an application with NASA’s latest undertaking, Project Gemini, and set his sights on becoming an astronaut."
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December 20, 2022 - December 21, 2022.
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Chapter 5. Welcome to NASA
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"“I thought the attractions of being an astronaut were actually, not so much the Moon, but flying in a completely new medium.”
"—Neil Armstrong"
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"Neil Armstrong was officially recruited by the NASA Astronaut Corps on September 17, 1962. Armstrong, who was in his early 30s at the time, was eager to be part of what was becoming the biggest and most well-funded organization for space flight.
"Still, he was initially skeptical of NASA’s strategy of using multistage rockets rather than rocket-powered planes. He and his test pilot peers had, after all, been working on fixed-wing, rocket-powered craft for quite some time and had hoped that a rocket plane would one day be advanced enough to fly into space as easily as a jet can fly into the air. For them, this was the natural evolution from aircraft to spacecraft. To many of these rocket plane veterans, it seemed entirely unappealing to be strapped into a tiny capsule, on top of a rocket, with very little control during lift-off. Some even joked that NASA’s astronauts were little more than human props wedged inside a cramped capsule, or as they put it, “spam in a can.”
................................................................................................
"Armstrong himself resented the fact that after the re-entry of their “tin can” of a capsule into the Earth’s atmosphere, they had to splash down in the ocean and wait helplessly to be picked up. It’s said that at various points in his career as an astronaut, as he and colleagues waited in the water to be picked up by boat, Armstrong was heard complaining about the inability of a space capsule to fly back to Earth under its own power. Controlled re-entry would not be achieved until the advent of the Space Shuttle. As of this writing, however, the current space program can be said to be in a state of flux. The Space Shuttle has been retired, and private industries, such as billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Space X, are creating newer and more powerful rockets to once again launch space capsules out of the Earth’s atmosphere.
"At any rate, upon being accepted by NASA, Armstrong and his family made their way to Houston, Texas, where a brand new space center had been constructed. To Janet’s pleasant surprise, Neil—rather than moving them out to some remote tract of land, which had previously been the case—opted to move into a bustling neighborhood in a nice, fully furnished, and comfortable ranch house, where almost all of their neighbors were employed at the space center.
"Notoriously standoffish Neil Armstrong, it seems, had finally found a place where he felt truly at home among his peers in space flight. Here, he was completely open with his new neighbors and was a frequent guest at plenty of backyard barbecues. Janet would later recall these pleasant years as the most joyous she ever had with her husband. Despite the dangerous work Neil was taking part in, in his off hours, it was a time when they could relax, take a deep breath, and simply enjoy themselves in the company of others. They had a house with air conditioning, a nice fenced-in property, and even a backyard swimming pool.
"It was in this aesthetically pleasing environment that the Armstrongs would have another child—little Mark, who arrived in 1963. The peace and serenity of these early years in Texas would only be marred by one tragic mishap that occurred on April 22, 1964. Janet was always worried that her husband would be involved in some terrible accident during his work, but little did she know it would be an accidental mishap much closer to home that would prove disastrous.
................................................................................................
"On the night of April 22, the couple awoke to a start, only to realize that their house was on fire. Their room was already filling with smoke, the smell of which caused Neil and Janet to go from just barely awake to fully alert in seconds. Suddenly, the welfare of their little sleeping son Mark was at the forefront of their minds. Neil ran off to grab the child as well as his older brother while Janet desperately attempted to reach a phone so that she could call for help. This was before the better, more efficiently streamlined emergency services we enjoy today, and in the wee hours of the morning, Janet was unable to get anyone to pick up.
"Frustrated, Janet Armstrong dropped the phone and decided to simply yell for the neighbors. She ran outside and began pounding on the fence that separated the Armstrong property from their next-door neighbors and shouted into the darkness for help. Neighbors Ed and Pat White heard the ruckus, and in no time, Ed was seen leaping over the fence. Neil Armstrong may have coined the “one giant leap for mankind” expression, but it was Ed White who made one giant leap over a fence to help his neighbors during their time of need. Immediately seeing and smelling the smoke, Ed knew what to do; he grabbed a garden hose and began spraying the whole place down with water. Pat, in the meantime, had managed to get a hold of emergency services, and fire trucks were dispatched to the property.
"After the Armstrong house was destroyed by flames, the whole neighborhood offered their support. They were kind enough to donate their time, money, and whatever resources they had to help the Armstrongs get back on their feet as quickly and smoothly as possible. However, it must be mentioned that in a grim twist of fate Ed White would ultimately perish in 1967 when he, along with astronauts Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee, were burned up in an Apollo capsule due to an out-of-control fire."
They deserve to be remembered.
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December 21, 2022 - December 21, 2022.
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Chapter 6. March to the Moon
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"“I think we’re going to the Moon because it’s in the nature of the human being to face challenges. It’s by the nature of his deep inner soul . . . we’re required to do these things just as salmon swim upstream.”
"—Neil Armstrong"
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"In the lead-up to the Moon landing, Neil Armstrong vigorously trained with his fellow astronauts. He also served as an intermittent spokesman, going to various public events and speaking of how important the cause of space travel was. Armstrong didn’t relish the role, but it was viewed as necessary to make sure that there was enough public interest to support the colossal budget that NASA required.
"Neil even made some unwanted headlines in this role when he was questioned over NASA’s decided lack of female astronauts. This was a pain point for NASA since the Russians had secured yet another first on June 16, 1963, by launching the first woman into space—Valentina Tereshkova. The Soviet Union had, in fact, already recruited five female cosmonauts for their space program. It was with this in mind that Neil was directly asked during one of his speeches how long it would take NASA to also send women aloft.
"Armstrong likely didn’t know quite how to answer the question, but he ended up suggesting that “someday” NASA would have female astronauts onboard their craft. This was, of course, an incredibly vague answer, yet it was almost treated like headline news at the time, as if recruitment was imminent. In reality, NASA’s “someday” would not arrive until female astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983.
................................................................................................
"Nevertheless, back in the early 1960s, Neil and his cohorts were laser-focused on getting to the Moon, and a major step in this process began with the first missions of Project Gemini. This program was a crucial dress rehearsal because it would see astronauts docking two separate craft together while in orbit. This was important because the same procedure would be necessary for the Moon landing; after the astronauts departed from the lunar surface, their lunar module would be required to dock with an orbiting craft to make the journey back to Earth.
"Gemini 1 launched in April 1964, but the second mission of Project Gemini was plagued with problems early on, ranging from adverse weather to malfunctioning equipment. The worst of which was a near-complete disaster that occurred when a hydraulic valve failed and could have caused a critical system failure were it not for an important safety mechanism that had just been outfitted, which instantly shut down the rocket ignition as soon as the issue was detected. After several delays, mishaps, and aborted launches, the green light was finally given on January 19, 1965. This was the day that Gemini 2 would achieve a successful launch.
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"It was the following year, in March of 1966, that Neil Armstrong would take part in the daring Gemini 8 mission, which would have two craft dock together in an attempt to learn the necessary maneuver for the upcoming Moon mission. The docking itself was carried out without a hitch, and Neil Armstrong and his co-pilot David Scott were absolutely exuberant, with Scott declaring it to be a real “smoothie” of a maneuver. Shortly thereafter, however, the craft began to go into an uncontrollable spin.
"After their craft disengaged from the docking craft, it continued to spin, causing the astronauts on board to become dizzy and terribly ill as they struggled to get their bearings. The situation was so bad that it was feared that if it wasn’t corrected soon, the astronauts might pass out. Needless to say, if the crew of this wildly spinning craft lost consciousness, they were as good as doomed. Fortunately enough, Neil Armstrong kept his composure and manipulated the controls to get the craft to stop spinning.
"Back at NASA, ground control was quite concerned and ordered the crew to cut the mission short and head back to Earth. Armstrong was deeply disappointed and felt as if they had somehow failed during this crucial step. He also worried that this perceived failure would somehow thwart the entire Gemini program. Fortunately, it would later be discovered that it was a malfunctioning thruster that had been the issue, and Neil nor any of the other crew was to blame. It was just a matter of fine-tuning the hardware, and the missions would continue as intended. Neil Armstrong was still on his way to the Moon."
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December 21, 2022 - December 21, 2022.
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Chapter 7. The Eagle has Landed
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"“I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.”
"—Neil Armstrong"
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"The year 1968 would be a big one for Neil Armstrong and the rest of the Apollo crew. It was this year that they would continue to test and tease out many of the kinks in what would ultimately culminate in the Moon landing. At the tail end of that year, in fact, the greatest dress rehearsal of all would occur: Apollo 8 would launch an actual flyby of the Moon. They weren’t going to step foot on the Moon but were simply flying by, scouting out a good place to land in the future, before heading back home.
"On the heels of this successful flyby mission, Neil Armstrong was made the leader of Apollo 11 and the team that would attempt landing on the Moon. Considering his experience, expertise, and demonstration of more than able stewardship, his selection as leader of the mission wasn’t much of a surprise. Joining Armstrong on this mission would be fellow astronauts Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin. Before even leaving ground, these three men would rehearse and repeatedly drill what their mission entailed. They would do so in realistic simulators, where they were free to make mistakes and miscalculations that in real life would have been fatal. Neil Armstrong himself is said to have made just such a fatal miscalculation while using a simulator, resulting in him crashing right into the Moon. This was a worrisome development to be sure, but when push came to shove, Armstrong would prove to the world that he had what it took to get the job done.
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"On July 16, 1969, Armstrong and his crew got up early, had breakfast, and then headed over to the launch pad. Upon their arrival, they entered a special elevator that allowed them to rise several stories until they reached the very top of the rocket, upon which their space capsule was perched. The men then walked across a gangway, entered the capsule, and prepared for blast-off.
"Mission control counted down the seconds until an explosion of rocket fuel blew out of the bottom of the craft, and the ship began to rise up and away from the launch tower. The first stage of the rocket launched the fiery ship up some 40 miles (65 kilometers) before its fuel was expended, and the first stage was jettisoned. The craft’s second stage engine then fired up to send the ship hurtling even farther and on into Earth orbit. When the second stage dropped, the third and final rocket engine fired, sending the craft on course to the Moon.
"The ship entered the Moon’s gravitational pull a few days later before reaching lunar orbit on July 20. On this date, with Michael Collins manning the controls of the orbiting craft (Columbia), Armstrong and Aldrin boarded the lunar landing module, referred to as the Eagle. The craft made a slow descent to the lunar surface, and upon landing, Armstrong would issue the now-famous proclamation, “The Eagle has landed.”
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"Even though the craft was being constantly assisted by onboard navigational computers, safely landing the lunar module was an incredibly challenging task. It called for nothing short of a perfect landing. Even if Armstrong and Aldrin survived a crash landing, they would effectively be stranded on the lunar surface. If such a thing had occurred, Michael Collins orbiting the Moon would have only been able to watch helplessly from above. There was no way the orbiting craft would have been able to swoop down and pick up the stranded astronauts. The only way for them to leave the lunar surface was to rocket back up; if the lunar module was destroyed, Armstrong and Aldrin would be as good as lost.
"The stark reality of this fact had then-President Richard Nixon draft two separate speeches for the Moon landing. One was a speech of triumph, which he did indeed end up reading after the successful landing. The other alternative speech was drafted in the event that Armstrong and Aldrin were forever lost and stranded on the lunar surface. This sad, dark speech would have had Nixon speaking of how “Mother Earth” had “dared send two of her sons into the unknown” only to have them forever entombed on the “corner of another world.”"
The president who had set it in motion was JFK, and he's so remembered. It's a tad startling to be reminded that the actual event was during the Nixon years, because it wasn't accidental that his era is inextricably linked in everybody's consciousness with Watergate and it's exposure resulting in his impeachment.
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"It was not exactly an uplifting message, and thankfully Nixon never had to read it because Armstrong and Aldrin would indeed successfully land the lunar module without sustaining any damage to the craft. For a while, though, it was rough going, and it was only due to the quick thinking of Armstrong that a crash landing was avoided. The module’s onboard computers had the craft headed to what Armstrong thought was a far too rocky section of the Moon. As such, he disengaged the computer and, at the last minute, brought the craft in for a manual landing, where he executed a perfect touch-down on a nice and smooth surface.
"Upon their successful landing, Neil and Buzz had to quickly go about their business on the Moon. It has long been wondered why the engagement appeared to be so rushed, but according to later testimony, there were two main reasons. Firstly, it was due to the lack of sustainable oxygen for the astronauts. They only had a certain amount of oxygen, and they had to make sure they met their objectives on the lunar surface before they ran out. Secondly, no one knew for sure how the spacesuits would cope with the Moon’s extreme temperatures, which can range from about 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 Celsius) to -200 degrees Fahrenheit (-130 Celsius).
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"It was Neil Armstrong himself who made the first step onto the Moon. He signified the feat by acknowledging both the unique moment given to him as well as the momentous occasion it presented to all of humanity. Armstrong expressed these feelings by stating, “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” This quote, which Armstrong came up with on his own, became a source of great discussion since the radio transmission did not pick the “a” before “man,” rendering the statement, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Perhaps Neil, in the heat of the moment, misspoke, or maybe the “a” was simply obscured by radio static—as of yet, there is no way of knowing for certain."
Why not realise that it was intentional, deliberate, intended to mean far more than mere "one small step for a man"?
"Whatever the case may be, Armstrong was fulfilling a personal dream of his, but he also understood the larger role he was playing for humanity; some 600 million of his fellow human beings were, in fact, anxiously watching this moment on their television screens. Although it was American astronauts who had landed on the Moon, it wasn’t their triumph alone; it was a feat collectively experienced by all of humankind. It’s often been said that as divisive as the 1960s may have been, it was the 1969 Moon landing that truly brought a sense of commonality to people. The feeling was universal and quite simple; two individuals from Earth had made the trip to the Moon, and all of Earth stood in awe of what they had just borne witness to."
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December 21, 2022 - December 21, 2022.
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Chapter 8. To the Moon and Back
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"After the Eagle successfully touched down on the lunar surface, Armstrong, followed by Aldrin, stepped foot on the Moon. Here, everything was new for them, and their first task was simply to get a feel for what walking on the Moon was like. Prior to their stepping foot on the lunar surface, there was some debate as to how much surface tension the Moon actually had. Some insisted it must be quite solid, while others argued that there could be areas as soft as quicksand where the unwary astronauts might sink. Fortunately for Armstrong and Aldrin, the surface appeared to be quite stable, and besides being a bit lighter due to the Moon’s reduction in gravity, they were able to walk and even hop along the lunar ground without any trouble at all.
"After these first basic experiments in walking on the Moon, Armstrong laid down a special plaque on the lunar surface. The plaque was inscribed with the date of the landing and a simple message of how human beings from Earth had landed on the Moon and had done so with entirely peaceful intentions. This narrative of peace was quite important during the Cold War since prior to the American landing on the Moon, there were real fears of the militarization of the Moon. It was in light of such musings that NASA deemed it important to clearly demonstrate that the Moon landing was a peaceful mission of exploration and not one of military conquest. Even so, Armstrong and Aldrin’s next gesture—the planting of an American flag—would be seen by some as a sign of the United States attempting to somehow claim ownership of the Moon.
"At any rate, for two and a half hours, the astronauts explored a small corner of the Moon, collected some rock samples, and conducted some basic experiments before returning to the Eagle. They would then begin the arduous process of lifting off the lunar surface and docking back with the orbiting craft piloted by Michael Collins. The real moment of truth occurred when they were back in the Eagle, wringing their hands over whether or not the lander would still function well enough to launch them up to the orbiting craft.
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"Although they discovered that the ignition switch for the ascent engine had broken, they were able to start the launch by using part of a pen. After the appropriate controls were activated, the craft’s thrusters fired, and they were sent aloft without any problems. They then successfully with the orbiter and were greeted by an entirely relieved Michael Collins, who welcomed them back onto the craft that would take them home. The Eagle had now served its purpose and was jettisoned and left to drift back to the Moon, where it would eventually crash and stand as a further testament to humanity’s arrival on the Moon."
That should read "They then successfully docked", or "They then docked successfully".
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"With everything in order, Michael Collins toggled the controls on the orbiter and sent it flying back toward the Earth. On July 24, Armstrong and company then splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. They were seasick and entirely exhausted at this point and were eager to finally get out of the cramped confines of the capsule. Nevertheless, they patiently waited to be picked up by the recovery team. They were picked up by way of a helicopter, which sent them to a waiting naval craft, the U.S.S. Hornet, where they would make the last leg of their journey.
"It seemed that Armstrong and his fellow Apollo astronauts had gone full circle: from the most advanced tools of exploration (spacecraft) to the most ancient (boat). Upon boarding the Hornet, these astronauts were then ferried back to dry land, where they would have to stay in quarantine out of fear of the possibility that they may have picked up some unknown germs from the Moon. Such things might almost seem laughable today, but it just goes to show how much of an unknown territory these brave explorers had stumbled into.
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"The astronauts remained in quarantine for three weeks before they were allowed to walk freely. It was a cumbersome burden for anyone to have placed on them, but these brave souls knew this would be the case in advance, and they gladly agreed to the stint in isolation as yet another part of their incredible journey. Upon their release, these intrepid explorers were celebrated as heroes and toured the country to the delight of jubilant crowds of admirers. At one event in Chicago alone, it’s said that the astronauts were greeted by a crowd of over two million people.
"But not everyone was enthusiastic about the Moon mission. At times, protesters gathered to express their disdain for what they viewed as a waste of money on space exploration, which they argued could be used for domestic programs at home. Armstrong even met some of these critics face-to-face during his trip to Chicago. Addressing them directly, he argued the benefits of space exploration for scientific advancement, as well as improving social cohesion at home. But what really seemed to melt hearts was when Armstrong spoke of how space exploration was really an exploration of our own inner being. He argued that the better we understand the cosmos, the better we understand ourselves. These remarks struck a chord, and even those who had gathered to protest began to applaud. Armstrong, although often pegged as the strong silent type, was indeed an impassioned speaker when the opportunity arose. His words would later be echoed by the likes of Carl Sagan, with similar brilliance.
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"It was shortly after this epic speech that Neil and his compatriots headed back to California to get to spend some much-needed quality time with their family members. This was not before being treated to an extravagant state dinner, where each was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Richard Nixon. The next day, the astronauts headed over to Houston to do a segment for the TV news program Meet the Press. It was only after this that they finally allowed themselves to have some private time on their own.
"In order to avoid further attention, Armstrong and his family spent a relaxing few weeks at the private ranch of Learjet mogul Harry Combs. Here, they were able to ride horses, walk trails, and enjoy the quiet side of life as they reconnected with nature. Most importantly, they were able to reconnect with themselves. Neil and Janet’s marriage had been quite strained by the nonstop training for missions that had taken place during the lead-up to the Moon landing. As incredible as landing on the Moon was, the Armstrongs were now looking forward to simply being able to catch their breath and catch up with each other.
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December 21, 2022 - December 21, 2022.
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Chapter 9. Life after the Landing
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"“I fully expected that, by the end of the century, we would have achieved substantially more than we actually did.”
"—Neil Armstrong"
True. Probably most did, after the tremendous leap of landing and stepping out on the Moon - such as landing and stepping out on not only Mars but other planets, in particular outer ones.
In the event, what was actually achieved was far more long-term and farsighted, in various missions such as Pioneer and, all the more so, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 being priorotised over the obvious alternative steps, of orbiting and - or - landing on other planets of Solar System, which latter has been also proceeded with, however slowly it'd seem to be so.
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"After leaving these powerful organizations, Armstrong picked up a simple teaching post for the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Word had leaked out to the press ahead of his first class session, and to Armstrong’s chagrin, his first day of teaching was plagued with reporters wandering around on campus. Nevertheless, Armstrong attempted to make a good show of paying them no heed. With cameras flashing, he marched right up to his class nestled in Rhodes Hall, and ignoring questions being shouted out at him, he entered the classroom and shut the door behind him, leaving the news reporters out in the cold."
Good show, Armstrong! Very proper stance for a true member of academia!
"Soon the reporters lost interest, and Neil Armstrong was able to prove himself as a wonderfully talented professor. During his tenure at the university, he also continued to push his vision for future space missions. He declared to all who would listen that the Moon landing he took part in should not be a one-off journey. He discussed how space travel should be made routine, and deep space exploration, in particular, should be made a priority."
That's exactly what seems to have been the direction that NASA proceeded with, since then.
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"Many scientific advancements and inventions would indeed come from space exploration. Among these are cordless tools, solar cells, memory foam, wireless headsets, smaller cameras and computers, and ways to purify air and water. Neil Armstrong, for one, worked to create a pump to circulate blood in heart-lung machines and artificial hearts. His inspiration for this was the so-called Apollo pump, which circulated cooling water through his spacesuit during the Moon mission. Neil Armstrong was known for innovative feats of engineering, but his concept of adapting the spacesuit for use in hospitals on Earth was indeed quite extraordinary.
"Armstrong would go on to teach for eight years before leaving the profession in 1980. Although he never gave any official reason as to why he left when he did, some have surmised that it was due to politics. Neil Armstrong had largely kept his political views to himself. The closest he came to speaking on political ideology was in a lecture dating back to 1976 when he spoke of the need to loosen government regulation in order to free up creativity. His words are couched in vague terms, but one can get the sense of a conservative railing against big government. Otherwise, Armstrong was mostly tight-lipped on his political views. It’s said that the campus at which he taught, however, had a faculty that was becoming increasingly politicized, leading Armstrong to desire his extrication from it altogether.
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"In 1979, just prior to his departure, Armstrong suffered a terrible accident. He was working with some farm equipment on his property when his ring finger got caught up in the machinery. The finger was ripped right off, but Neil had the presence of mind to grab up the severed digit and put it on ice despite the pain and fountain of blood that ensued, knowing that there was the possibility it could be surgically reattached. Neil guessed right since, after a trip to a state-of-the-art hospital and a top-of-the-line surgeon, the severed finger was indeed restored to his hand. His injury explains why he lessened his course load in 1979, but it still doesn’t really explain his sudden departure in 1980.
"At any rate, just before leaving, Neil Armstrong took the time to give a powerful commencement speech for that year’s graduating class. After quietly retiring from his teaching post, Armstrong made his next major public debut in 1983, on what was the 25th anniversary of the founding of NASA. In commemoration of this milestone, he appeared in a TV special hosted by Bob Hope, which was broadcast on NBC. A couple of years later, Armstrong again made headlines in a major way when he joined a 1985 expedition to the North Pole. The expedition consisted of a veritable all-star cast of explorers which included Armstrong, Patrick Morrow, Steve Fossett, and the New Zealand climbing expert Edmund Hillary.
................................................................................................
"Right on the heels of this great adventure, Armstrong was recruited by the Reagan administration to sit on the board of the National Commission on Space. It was a consulting gig and would have Armstrong giving presentations on future aspirations of space travel in a very similar vein as he had done in the past for NASA. Armstrong’s vision was once again far-reaching as he argued not only for manned exploration of Mars but for eventual colonization of the entire solar system as a whole.
"Neil Armstrong was excited at the future prospects of space travel, and for a while, it seemed that just about anything was possible. A short time later, however, on January 28, 1986, the horror of the Challenger disaster transpired. The Challenger Space Shuttle was carrying a crew of both astronauts and specially picked civilians when a major malfunction occurred right after take-off. The shuttle erupted in a fiery explosion, killing all onboard.
"This event reminded the public of the risk involved with space travel and, in many ways, cast a dark shadow over the recently voiced ambition for the future of space exploration. In the aftermath, Armstrong himself would be placed on an investigative panel tasked with getting to the bottom of why the Challenger disaster took place. Armstrong’s group cited bureaucratic failures and dubious safety inspections as contributing factors, and they came up with several recommendations to NASA in order to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
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"Overall, the Challenger disaster was quite damaging both to public enthusiasm and governmental funding for space exploration. Nevertheless, when the 20th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing rolled around in 1989, Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin were sure to be front and center, both commemorating the event and calling for more funding for future missions in space.
"Life went on in the meantime, and the following year, Armstrong was touched by the grief of personal loss when his parents perished one after the other. First, his father died in February of 1990, and then his mother subsequently passed just a few months later in May of that same year. It was during the strain of these two events that Neil’s marriage also found itself on the rocks, with the couple separating before ultimately finalizing their divorce in 1994.
"Armstrong ended up marrying another woman—Carol Held Knight—in 1994, whom he had been introduced to through a mutual friend. Carol’s husband had recently passed away, just prior to her meeting Neil. Both were suffering from a sense of loss and seemed to find solace in each other’s company. Neil would remain happily married to Carol for the rest of his life."
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December 21, 2022 - December 21, 2022.
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Conclusion
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"In his later years, Armstrong largely stepped away from public scrutiny. His health had begun to decline; he suffered a heart attack in the early 1990s while skiing in Aspen and continued to have cardiovascular issues afterward. It was this deteriorating condition that culminated in bypass surgery in 2012. The operation was deemed necessary due to recurringly clogged arteries. Initially, the procedure was deemed a success, but shortly after, dire complications arose, which led to Armstrong’s death on August 25, 2012, at 82 years of age.
"The loss was a sad one for anyone that knew of him, but Neil Armstrong had led a full and rich life. Whether he was strapped to a fighter jet or landing on the Moon, Armstrong had stared death in the face on multiple occasions and survived. Ever since he was a boy in Ohio, dreaming of flying up into the ether, he desired to reach new and untold horizons. No matter what, Neil Armstrong was always pushing for the next great frontier.
"Armstrong may have been a bit disappointed in the lack of visible progress in the space program in his later years, but nevertheless, even after Neil himself made his final departure into the great beyond, we can still clearly see the trail that this incredible pioneer has blazed. ... "
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December 21, 2022 - December 21, 2022.
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Bibliography
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"Armstrong, Neil (1975). "Apollo Double Diaphragm Pump for Use in Artificial Heart-Lung Systems." https://archives.lib.purdue.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/40382
"Barbree, Jay (2014). Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight.
"Hansen, James (2005). First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong.
"Harland, David (1999). Exploring the Moon: The Apollo Expeditions.
"Koestler-Grack, Rachel (2010). Neil Armstrong.
"Wagener, Leon (2004). One Giant Leap: Neil Armstrong’s Stellar American Journey."
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December 21, 2022 - December 21, 2022.
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NEIL ARMSTRONG: A LIFE
FROM BEGINNING TO END,
by
HOURLY HISTORY.
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December 20, 2022 - December 20, 2022.
Purchased December 20, 2022.
ASIN:- B0BP22B1LJ
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Neil Armstrong: A Life
from Beginning to End, by
Hourly History
December 20, 2022 - December 20, 2022.
Purchased December 20, 2022.
ASIN:- B0BP22B1LJ
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5175504706
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