Biography
Edwin Hubble (1889-1953)
Neil Alden Armstrong is the Chairman of the Board of AIL Systems, an electronic systems company. He was born in
Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930. After serving as a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952 and completing his studies at
Pin-due, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
(NACA) in 1955. From the next 17 years, he was an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator for NACA and it's successor
agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
He was a research pilot at NASA's Flight Research Centre: he worked on many projects on high speed
aircraft, including the 4000-mph X-15.
Armstrong transferred to astronaut status in 1952. He was assigned as command pilot for the Gemini 8
mission. Armstrong performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space.
As spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing
mission, Armstrong gained the distinction of being the first man to land a craft on the moon and first to step on its
surface. His most famous sentence was: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for
mankind". No event in history captured the imagination of people as the first step on the Moon on 21st July 1969.
Armstrong subsequently held the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for
Aeronautics, NASA. In this position, he was responsible for the coordination and management of overall NASA research and technology work related to
aeronautics. "
He was Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati between 1971-1979. During the years 1982'-1992, Armstrong was chairman of Computing Technologies for
Aviation.
He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California. He holds honorary doctorates from a number of
universities.
Armstrong has been decorated by 17 countries. He is the recipient of many special
honours, including the Federation Aeronautique International's Gold Space
Medal. |
