{"id":41340,"date":"2012-08-28T20:12:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-29T00:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-360082"},"modified":"2024-06-03T12:12:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-03T16:12:45","slug":"who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-5-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-5-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Was Neil Armstrong? (Grades 5-8)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em><em>This article is for students grades 5-8.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Neil Armstrong was the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. He was an astronaut who flew on two space missions. The first was Gemini 8. The second was Apollo 11, which landed on the moon in 1969. Armstrong was also an engineer, a pilot and a college professor.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/edu_neil_armstrong_apollo_small.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1685\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/edu_neil_armstrong_apollo_small.jpg?w=1500\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Neil Armstrong in his spacesuit\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 53% 29%; object-position: 53% 29%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/edu_neil_armstrong_apollo_small.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/edu_neil_armstrong_apollo_small.jpg?resize=267,300 267w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/edu_neil_armstrong_apollo_small.jpg?resize=768,863 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/edu_neil_armstrong_apollo_small.jpg?resize=912,1024 912w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/edu_neil_armstrong_apollo_small.jpg?resize=1367,1536 1367w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/edu_neil_armstrong_apollo_small.jpg?resize=356,400 356w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/edu_neil_armstrong_apollo_small.jpg?resize=534,600 534w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/edu_neil_armstrong_apollo_small.jpg?resize=801,900 801w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/edu_neil_armstrong_apollo_small.jpg?resize=1068,1200 1068w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>What Was Neil Armstrong\u2019s Life Like Growing Up?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Neil Armstrong was born in Ohio on Aug. 5, 1930. He had a brother and a sister. His family moved several times when he was young. They settled in Wapakoneta, Ohio, when he was 13. Armstrong first flew in an airplane when he was 6. That flight made him love airplanes. He was an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. Armstrong attended Blume High School in Wapakoneta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Armstrong went to college at Purdue University. While he was in college, he left to serve in the U.S. Navy. He was a Navy pilot during the Korean War. Afterwards, he returned and finished his bachelor\u2019s degree in aeronautical engineering. He later earned a master\u2019s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>What Did Neil Armstrong Do Before He Became an Astronaut?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After he graduated from college in 1955, Neil Armstrong went to work for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. NACA was a government agency that researched airplanes. Congress formed NASA in 1958, and NACA became part of this new agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Armstrong flew several planes for the agency. He also helped design planes. One of the planes he flew was the X-15 rocket plane. This plane set records for speed and altitude. Some of those records still stand, more than 40 years later.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-fit \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/neilarmstrong_2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"523\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/neilarmstrong_2.jpg?w=523\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Neil Armstrong standing on the lunar surface\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/neilarmstrong_2.jpg 523w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/neilarmstrong_2.jpg?resize=300,224 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/neilarmstrong_2.jpg?resize=400,299 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 523px) 100vw, 523px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>What Did Neil Armstrong Do as an Astronaut?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Neil Armstrong was selected as an astronaut in 1962. He was part of the second group of astronauts ever chosen. After finishing his initial training, he was picked to be mission commander of Gemini 8 in 1966. The two-person crew was Armstrong and David Scott. They were the first astronauts to dock two vehicles in space. The Gemini docked with an Agena spacecraft. The Agena, which had no crew, was launched so the Gemini could practice docking with it. After docking, the Gemini had a thruster problem. The capsule started spinning, and the mission ended early. Armstrong and Scott were able to pilot the Gemini safely back to Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>What Happened On the Apollo 11 Mission?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Armstrong\u2019s second flight was as commander of Apollo 11 in 1969. The other crew members were Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon in the lunar lander named Eagle. They were the first people to land on the moon. Collins stayed in orbit around the moon in the Apollo capsule. After landing, Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon. Armstrong took the first step on the moon. He said, \u201cThat\u2019s one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for mankind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Armstrong and Aldrin spent more than two-and-a-half hours working outside their spacecraft on the moon. They studied the surface and collected rock samples. The two astronauts were on the moon for 21-and-a-half hours, including time inside the lander. After they blasted off, they docked with the Apollo capsule still in orbit around the moon. All three astronauts then flew back to Earth in the Apollo capsule.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/image-article\/first-footprints-another-world\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1041\" height=\"837\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/gpn-2001-000014.jpg?w=1041\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"One of the first steps taken on the Moon, this is an image of Buzz Aldrin's bootprint from the Apollo 11 mission. \" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 81%; object-position: 50% 81%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/gpn-2001-000014.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/gpn-2001-000014.jpg?resize=300,241 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/gpn-2001-000014.jpg?resize=768,617 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/gpn-2001-000014.jpg?resize=1024,823 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/gpn-2001-000014.jpg?resize=400,322 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/gpn-2001-000014.jpg?resize=600,482 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/gpn-2001-000014.jpg?resize=900,724 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>What Did Neil Armstrong Do After Apollo 11?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Neil Armstrong retired from NASA the year after Apollo 11. Armstrong was a professor at the University of Cincinnati from 1971 to 1979. He taught classes and did research. Armstrong later went into the business world. He stayed active in various groups that studied space and aeronautics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>An American Hero and Explorer<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Neil Armstrong died on Aug. 25, 2012. He was 82.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>More About Neil Armstrong:<\/b><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/what-was-the-apollo-program-grades-5-8\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/what-was-the-apollo-program-grades-5-8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What Was the Apollo Program?<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/what-was-the-gemini-program-grades-5-8\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What Was the Gemini Program?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-k-4\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/general\/who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-k-4\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Who Was Neil Armstrong? (Grades K-4)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-center nasa-button-link padding-y-1 padding-x-0 hds-module wp-block-nasa-blocks-related-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-students-grades-5-8\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"button-primary button-primary-md link-external-true\" aria-label=\"Explore More For Students Grades 5-8\">\n\t\t<span class=\"line-height-alt-1\">Explore More For Students Grades 5-8<\/span>\n\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"button-primary-circle\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t<\/a>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article is for students grades 5-8. Neil Armstrong was the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. He was an astronaut who flew on two space missions. The first was Gemini 8. The second was Apollo 11, which landed on the moon in 1969. Armstrong was also an engineer, a pilot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":48846,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2849,3777,3291],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[4158,10610,12705],"coauthors":[12657],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Who Was Neil Armstrong? (Grades 5-8)","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-5-8\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-5-8\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/neilarmstrong_3.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/neilarmstrong_3.jpg"},"articleSection":"Learning Resources","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"NASA STEM Team"}],"creator":["NASA STEM Team"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Learning Resources","For Kids and Students","Grades 5 - 8","Explore"],"dateCreated":"2012-08-29T00:12:00Z","datePublished":"2012-08-29T00:12:00Z","dateModified":"2024-06-03T16:12:45Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Who Was Neil Armstrong? (Grades 5-8)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-5-8\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/neilarmstrong_3.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2012-08-29T00:12:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Learning Resources\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Learning Resources,For Kids and Students,Grades 5 - 8,Explore\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA STEM Team\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"time_ago":"12 years","featured_image":{"id":48846,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/neilarmstrong_3.jpg","title":"neilarmstrong_3","alt":"","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41340"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41340"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":667488,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41340\/revisions\/667488"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41340"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=41340"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=41340"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=41340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}