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Neil Armstrong Essay

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Neil Armstrong

Background

Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio in the year 1930. His services as a pilot were called upon during the Korean War. Shortly after graduating from Purdue University in 1955, Armstrong joined the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, then known as the National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics. At the time the functions of the N.A.C. were to plan, direct, and conduct all United States aeronautical and space activities, except for those that were primarily military. Armstrong served as a civilian test pilot at Edwards Air Base in Lancaster, California. In 1962 Armstrong became the first civilian to enter the astronaut-training program.

Gemini VII Mission

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Because of problems with the spacecraft control system, the crew was forced to undock after approximately thirty minutes. The spacecraft-target vehicle combination had begun to encounter increasing yaw and roll rates. The crew regained control of their spacecraft by using the reentry control system, which prompted and early landing in a secondary landing area in the Pacific after 10 hours, 41 minutes, and 26 seconds. No EVA was performed.
An electrical short caused the failure in the control system. Docking and re- rendezvous secondary objectives were not achieved due to the shortened mission.

Apollo 11 mission

The Apollo 11 mission was funded under the Nixon administration during the heat of the space race with the Russians. The main purpose of this launch was to put a man on the moon, and successfully back down to Earth. The crew consisted of three men, two of which would walk on the moon. Edwin Aldrin
Junior of the United Stated Air Force, Armstrong, and Lieutenant Colonel Michael
Collins, also of the U.S. airforce made up the crew. Collins remained in the
Lunar Orbit following the separation, piloting the command and service module.
The Lunar Module descended to the surface of the moon on July 20, landing at the edge of Mare Tranquilitatis. A few hours later, Armstrong, in his somewhat bulky space suit, descended the latter and, at 10:56 PM (Eastern Standard Time) stepped onto the surface of the moon. His first words,

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