Born in August 5 from 1930, Neil Armstrong he was one of the most prestigious public figures of the 20th century. The day of his birth is celebrated in the United States of America (his native country) with great enthusiasm, as Armstrong was the man who first stepped on the lunar surface, in July 20, 1969. Armstrong was then the commanding astronaut of the expeditionApollo 11 – the fifth manned mission of the so-called Project Apollo (started in 1961) and the first to land on the Moon.
Read too: Why hasn't man returned to the moon yet?
Military training and astronautics career
Before settling on a career in the nascent astronautics, Armstrong underwent military training as a pilot in the US Navy, which he served during theKorean War, between the years 1949 and 1952. A few years later, with experience as a military pilot, Armstrong studied aeronautical engineering at Purdue University and managed to be selected for the Agency for Space Affairs - Naca (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), which preceded the current Nasa (National Aeronautics and Space Administration).
While at NACA, Armstrong specialized in flying special supersonic aircraft, that is, aircraft that go beyond the speed of sound, such as the models X-15. Soon after, he started to make experimental trips in spaceships, like the Gemini 8 and the own Apollo 11.
Read too: Myths and truths about the arrival of man on the moon
Flying to the Moon with Apollo 11
Among other reasons that led Project Apollo to get off the ground was the intense competition in between Soviet Union and the United States for the development of aeronautical technology capable of “conquering space”. In previous years, the Soviets had already made extraordinary events: 1) placed the first artificial satellite (the Sputnik) in Earth orbit and 2) successfully launched the first spacecraft (Vostok 1) manned by a human (the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin) out of the Earth's atmosphere.
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One feat that would make American efforts unique after the Soviet conquests would be to send a manned spacecraft to the moon. It was then that the already constituted NASA prepared three astronauts for the undertaking: in addition to Commander Neil Armstrong, they were on board EdwinAldrin and Michaelcollins. The Apollo 11 spacecraft departed Earth on July 16th and descended on the lunar surface on July 20th.
It is speculated that Armstrong was the first to descend and set foot on the moon because the compartment door was on his side. However, the most obvious reason why he was the first to go down, and not the other two, is the fact that he is the mission commander. The first steps taken on the lunar surface were recorded by Armstrong himself and transmitted to Earth. your sentence “it's a small step for a man, but a big step for humanity” it became one of the most famous in history.
Read too: Space race: context, events, how it ended
Death
Armstrong died on August 25, 2012, after not resisting the complications of an emergency cardiac surgery, performed on the 7th of the same month.
* Image credits: Anton_Ivanov and Shutterstock
By Me. Claudio Fernanddes
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FERNANDES, Claudio. "August 5th: Birth of Neil Armstrong"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/datas-comemorativas/neil-armstrong.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
