Neil Armstrong Research Paper

Neil Armstrong once said, “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Armstrong was the commander of Apollo 11, who flied to the Moon and back, conducting scientific experiments, walking on the moon and, thus, making great progress in science and aerospace industry. Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon’s surface, which contributed to the development of airspace industry worldwide and increased interests of the world community to the scientific study of space.

Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio on August 5, 1930. “At around five years old Neil began his love towards airplanes and at six years old he had his first airplane ride”(Field). He was so smart in school that they moved him from second grade into third

In 1962, he became an astronaut. He was the command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission launched in 1966. The command pilot of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. Armstrong performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space. This was important because it was a necessary step to learn before men could be sent to the moon. On July 20, 1969, he made history by being the first man to land a craft on the moon and the first man to step on its surface. The craft landed in a region called the Sea of Tranquility at 4:18 p.m. ET. His first words after stepping on the moon became one of the most famous quotes of the 20th century: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Since the beginning of time, people have looked up at the moon and wished to go there. Armstrong was the first to accomplish this dream for all of us. According to National Geographic, "Putting a man on the moon not only inspired the nation, but also the world. The 1960s were a tumultuous time in the U.S., and the moon landing showed what could be accomplished at a time when much else was going wrong." Armstrong took his historic step six hours later after landing, as millions of people around the world watched on television. The landing

Kennedy in May, 1961 was done primarily for reasons of national reputation , part of our ongoing struggle with the Soviet Union. To restore faith in the Nation Kennedy proposed we race the Soviet Union to the moon. Sputnik 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite. The Soviet Union launched it into orbit on 4 October 1957. It was a 58 cm diameter polished metal sphere, with four external radio antennae to broadcast radio pulses. America felt concerned about their sudden rise in technical power. The Soviets had accepted Kennedy’s challenge. “The breathless competition in space at that time was conducted with a seriousness that we can scarcely credit these days as the key to space success (and by inference, global domination). The Soviets orbited the first satellite, the first man, the first woman, and were the first to hit the Moon with a man-made object. They orbited the first multi-man crews and one of their cosmonauts, America, stumbling at first, rapidly caught up and matched most Soviet achievements. We soon began making our own space firsts – the first docking in orbit, long duration space walks, and the successful flight of the giant Saturn V booster. But everyone knew the high-stakes measure of success – to be the first to reach the Moon with people” (CNN Library). Neil Armstrong helped prove that America could accomplish anything. The Soviets viewed the Americans as