Neil Armstrong Fast Facts - CNN

Neil Armstrong Fast Facts

CNN Editorial Research

Updated 1523 GMT (2323 HKT) July 22, 2021

At 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969, NASA's Apollo 11 spacecraft was launched by a Saturn V rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On board were astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Four days later, on July 20, they would become the first men to land on the moon.
Photos: Reaching for the moon
At 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969, NASA's Apollo 11 spacecraft was launched by a Saturn V rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On board were astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Four days later, on July 20, they would become the first men to land on the moon.
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Former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and then-Vice President Spiro Agnew were among the spectators at the historic launch.
Photos: Reaching for the moon
Former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and then-Vice President Spiro Agnew were among the spectators at the historic launch.
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A photo of the full moon taken from Apollo 11. At the time, the spacecraft was 10,000 nautical miles from Earth.
Photos: Reaching for the moon
A photo of the full moon taken from Apollo 11. At the time, the spacecraft was 10,000 nautical miles from Earth.
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A spectacular view of home, taken halfway between Earth and the moon.
Photos: Reaching for the moon
A spectacular view of home, taken halfway between Earth and the moon.
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Aldrin is photographed by Armstrong inside Apollo 11's lunar module, just prior to the moon landing. In orbit, Aldrin later took what would become known as the world's first <a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/tech/2014/07/15/orig-buzz-aldrin-space-selfie.cnn">space selfie</a>.
Photos: Reaching for the moon
Aldrin is photographed by Armstrong inside Apollo 11's lunar module, just prior to the moon landing. In orbit, Aldrin later took what would become known as the world's first space selfie.
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Aldrin is photographed on the moon after Armstrong went first and called it "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong and Aldrin explored the Sea of Tranquility region of the moon. Meanwhile, Collins remained inside the command module for the duration of the mission.
Photos: Reaching for the moon
Aldrin is photographed on the moon after Armstrong went first and called it "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong and Aldrin explored the Sea of Tranquility region of the moon. Meanwhile, Collins remained inside the command module for the duration of the mission.
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A close-up view of Aldrin's boot print in the lunar soil.
Photos: Reaching for the moon
A close-up view of Aldrin's boot print in the lunar soil.
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Back on Earth, NASA officials celebrate the successful conclusion of Apollo 11's eight-day mission.
Photos: Reaching for the moon
Back on Earth, NASA officials celebrate the successful conclusion of Apollo 11's eight-day mission.
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The U.S. Navy assists the returning astronauts after their re-entry vehicle landed safely in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969.
Photos: Reaching for the moon
The U.S. Navy assists the returning astronauts after their re-entry vehicle landed safely in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969.
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President Richard Nixon welcomes the astronauts back to Earth: from left, Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin. The astronauts were received by the President from their mobile quarantine unit, which was thought to help prevent the spread of contagions caught on the moon. The quarantine practice was discontinued a couple years later after Apollo 14's mission.
Photos: Reaching for the moon
President Richard Nixon welcomes the astronauts back to Earth: from left, Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin. The astronauts were received by the President from their mobile quarantine unit, which was thought to help prevent the spread of contagions caught on the moon. The quarantine practice was discontinued a couple years later after Apollo 14's mission.
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(CNN)Here's a look at the life of astronaut Neil Armstrong.

Personal

Birth date: August 5, 1930
Death date: August 25, 2012
Birthplace: Wapakoneta, Ohio
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Birth name: Neil Alden Armstrong
Father: Stephen Armstrong, auditor
Mother: Viola (Engel) Armstrong
Marriages: Carol (Held Knight) Armstrong (June 12, 1994-August 25, 2012, his death); Janet (Shearon) Armstrong (1956-1994, divorced)
Children: with Janet Shearon Armstrong: Mark Stephen, Karen Anne and Erik Alan
Education: Purdue University, (1947-1949, 1952-1955) B.S.; University of Southern California, M.A., 1970
Military Service: U.S. Navy, 1949-1952

Other Facts

Armstrong was an Eagle Scout and had his pilot's license before he had a driver's license.
He earned a Navy scholarship to Purdue. His studies were interrupted when he was called to active duty just before the beginning of the Korean War.
As a military and civilian pilot, he flew over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders, including the X-1B and the X-15 rocket planes.
He said his famous statement after first landing on the moon was misheard, that what he really said was, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." It lost a syllable in transmission because of the microphone.

Timeline

August 5, 1946 - Receives his pilot's license.
1950-1952 - Combat fighter pilot during the Korean War, flying 78 missions and earning 3 air medals.
1955-1962 - Civilian test pilot.
September 17, 1962 - Neil Armstrong is part of the second group of men chosen by NASA to become astronauts.
March 16, 1966 - Command Pilot of Gemini 8. Along with Pilot David Scott, he successfully performs the first space docking between spacecraft.
July 16-July 24, 1969 - Command Pilot of the Apollo 11 mission. The three-man crew consists of Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins.
July 20, 1969 - After landing near Mare Tranquillitatis, Armstrong becomes the first man on the moon. He and Aldrin spend about two hours on the surface before rejoining Collins in the command module.
1969 - Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
1970-1971 - Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics at NASA.
1971-1979 - Professor of Engineering at the University of Cincinnati.
1978 - Receives the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
1986 - Vice chairman to the Rogers Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger accident.
March 19, 1993 - Inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
July 20, 1994 - Joins 19 other astronauts and US President Bill Clinton at a White House ceremony to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon walk.
July 21, 2004 - Attends a White House ceremony with Aldrin and Collins marking the 35th anniversary of Apollo 11.
September 2006 - Voice recognition software finds the missing "a" in Armstrong's famous moon-landing quote. The speech was corrected to say "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,"
October 2007 - Armstrong and 14 other astronauts, all Purdue University graduates, attend the university's dedication ceremony of the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering.
March 2010 - Armstrong, along with astronauts Jim Lovell, Eugene Cernan and others, visit US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
May 2010 - Testifies before congressional committees with Cernan, where they voice opposition to the president's plans for NASA and human spaceflight, and explain their views on why America should continue the space shuttle program.
November 16, 2011 - Receives the Congressional Gold Medal for Distinguished Astronauts along with Aldrin, Collins and John Glenn.
August 2012 - Has heart surgery.
August 25, 2012 - Passes away at the age of 82 following complications from cardiovascular procedures.
July 23, 2019 - According to a report from The New York Times, Armstrong's family was paid $6 million by a hospital in 2014 as part of a wrongful death settlement. Probate documents confirm the funds were distributed as part of a wrongful death and survival claim.