Edwin Buzz Aldrin is shown stepping onto the Moon to join Neil Armstrong who is taking the photograph
EARLY FLYER Neil Alden Armstrong was born in the small town of Wapakoneta Ohio on August 5 1930 He first became fascinated with flying at two years old This was when his father took him to an airshow in Cleveland Ohio Armstrong spent his childhood building model planes and working after school to pay for flying lessons After graduating from high school Armstrong studied aeronautical engineering at Purdue University He then flew fighter jets for the U S Navy in the Korean War During one mission Armstrong had to eject from his jet after being hit by enemy fire from the ground It was the first of several near misses that Armstrong would experience during his career TEST PILOT In 1955 Armstrong became a research pilot for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics NACA He tested helicopters gliders and over 200 different models of high-speed aircraft One such aircraft was the rocket powered X-15 jet which could fly at 4,520 miles 7,274 kilometers per hour In 1958 NACA turned into the National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA the agency that would send Armstrong to the Moon
SPACE Q AND A Q What does NASA do A NASA is the U S agency responsible for science and technology related to air and space
A young Neil Armstrong is dressed in his marching band uniform
