THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Astronaut Neil Armstrong Celebrates Birthday in Quarantine in 1969

August 5, 1969

ABOVE VIDEO: On his birthday, we bear in mind the illustrious Neil Armstrong: check pilot, aeronautical engineer, astronaut, professor, and naturally, the primary particular person to set foot on the Moon. 54 years in the past as we speak, he celebrated whereas in quarantine.

(NASA) – Neil A. Armstrong, the primary man to stroll on the moon, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930. He started his NASA profession in Ohio.

After serving as a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952, Armstrong joined the Nationwide Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1955. His first task was with the NACA Lewis Analysis Middle (now NASA Glenn) in Cleveland. Over the subsequent 17 years, he was an engineer, check pilot, astronaut and administrator for NACA and its successor company, the Nationwide Aeronautics and Area Administration (NASA).

As a analysis pilot at NASA’s Flight Analysis Middle, Edwards, Calif., he was a mission pilot on many pioneering excessive velocity plane, together with the well-known, 4000-mph X-15. He has flown over 200 totally different fashions of plane, together with jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders.

Armstrong transferred to astronaut standing in 1962. He was assigned as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Gemini 8 was launched on March 16, 1966, and Armstrong carried out the primary profitable docking of two autos in house.

As spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the primary manned lunar touchdown mission, Armstrong gained the excellence of being the primary man to land a craft on the moon and first to step on its floor.

Armstrong subsequently held the place of Deputy Affiliate Administrator for Aeronautics, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. On this place, he was answerable for the coordination and administration of total NASA analysis and know-how work associated to aeronautics.

He was Professor of Aerospace Engineering on the College of Cincinnati between 1971-1979. Throughout the years 1982-1992, Armstrong was chairman of Computing Applied sciences for Aviation, Inc., Charlottesville, Va.

He acquired a Bachelor of Science Diploma in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue College and a Grasp of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the College of Southern California. He holds honorary doctorates from various universities.

Armstrong was a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Take a look at Pilots and the Royal Aeronautical Society; Honorary Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Worldwide Astronautics Federation.

He was a member of the Nationwide Academy of Engineering and the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. He served as a member of the Nationwide Fee on Area (1985-1986), as Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Fee on the Area Shuttle Challenger Accident (1986), and as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Peace Corps (1971-1973).

Armstrong was embellished by 17 nations. He was the recipient of many particular honors, together with the Presidential Medal of Freedom; the Congressional Gold Medal; the Congressional Area Medal of Honor; the Explorers Membership Medal; the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy; the NASA Distinguished Service Medal; the Harmon Worldwide Aviation Trophy; the Royal Geographic Society’s Gold Medal; the Federation Aeronautique Internationale’s Gold Area Medal; the American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award; the Robert J. Collier Trophy; the AIAA Astronautics Award; the Octave Chanute Award; and the John J. Montgomery Award.

Armstrong handed away on Aug. 25, 2012 following problems ensuing from cardiovascular procedures. He was 82.