Neil Armstrong was a very brave man. He is best known for being the first man to walk on the moon. In addition to being an astronaut, he was a test pilot and naval aviator.

On August 5,1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio, Neil Armstrong was born. He was so smart in school. He learned to read before he went to school, read 90 books in first grade, skipped second grade, and was reading like a fifth grader in third grade. His father took him on many plane rides when he was young. He learned to fly before he learned to drive a car.

When Armstrong was old enough, he went to Purdue University to study how to make airplanes. During college he became a navy pilot in Korea. After the war, he went back to school, got married, and had three children. His youngest daughter died when she was two from brain cancer. He then went to work for NASA in California.

Armstrong’s first mission for NASA was in Gemini 8. It was successful, but it almost crashed. Armstrong remained calm and took the ship back into control. The most important mission was Apollo 11. It was the first trip to the moon. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and John Collins landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. When Neil Armstrong first touched the moon he said, "That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. Neil Armstrong brought with him a piece of a scrap from the Kitty Hawk air plane, as well as the American flag which was planted on the moon. On this mission Armstrong and Aldrin took rock samples and pictures. After his famous journey, Armstrong did not make any more space flights. He took a job with NASA. Later he began teaching at the University of Cincinnati. He is still alive at the age of 76. Thanks to his work, he made it easier for people to learn about space.