{"id":41528,"date":"2012-08-28T14:43:00","date_gmt":"2012-08-28T18:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-358033"},"modified":"2024-06-03T12:12:34","modified_gmt":"2024-06-03T16:12:34","slug":"who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-k-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-k-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Was Neil Armstrong? (Grades K-4)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em><em>This article is for students grades K-4.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\nNeil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon. He was an astronaut. He flew on two space missions. One was Apollo 11. That mission landed on the moon. He 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: 54% 31%; object-position: 54% 31%; 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 on Aug. 5, 1930. He was born in Ohio. He had a brother and a sister. He was in the Boy Scouts of America. Armstrong flew in an airplane when he was 6. That flight made him love airplanes. He attended Blume High School in Ohio.<\/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 flew planes during the Korean War. Then he came back to college and finished the degree he had started. He later earned a master\u2019s degree too.<\/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>Before he was an astronaut, Armstrong worked for a group that studied airplanes. That group later became part of NASA. He flew several planes for them. He also helped design planes. One of the aircraft he flew was the X-15 rocket plane. This plane flew very high and very fast. It set records.<\/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\/image_feature_19_rs4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"516\" height=\"387\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/image_feature_19_rs4.jpg?w=516\" 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\/image_feature_19_rs4.jpg 516w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/image_feature_19_rs4.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/image_feature_19_rs4.jpg?resize=400,300 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 516px) 100vw, 516px\" \/><\/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>Armstrong became an astronaut in 1962. He was in the second group of astronauts ever chosen. He was the commander of Gemini 8 in 1966. He flew on that mission with David Scott. They were the first astronauts to dock, or connect, two vehicles in space.<\/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 Apollo 11 in 1969. He was the mission commander. He flew with Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon in a lander named \u201cEagle.\u201d They were the first people to land on the moon. Collins did not land. He circled the moon in the Apollo capsule. After they landed, 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 hours outside their spacecraft on the moon. They studied the surface. They collected rocks. After almost a day, they blasted off. They docked with Collins in orbit around the moon. All three then flew back to Earth.<br>\n <\/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: 51% 69%; object-position: 51% 69%; 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 after Apollo 11. In 1971, Armstrong became a college professor. He taught until 1979. Later, he became a businessman. He stayed active in 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 August 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-k-4\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What Was the Apollo Program<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/audience\/forstudents\/k-4\/stories\/nasa-knows\/what-was-apollo-program-k4.html\">?<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/what-was-the-gemini-program-grades-k-4\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What Was the Gemini Program<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/audience\/forstudents\/k-4\/stories\/nasa-knows\/what-was-gemini-program-k4.html\">?<\/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-5-8\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-5-8\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Who Was Neil Armstrong? (Grades 5-8)<\/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-k-4\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"button-primary button-primary-md link-external-true\" aria-label=\"Explore More For Students Grades K-4\">\n\t\t<span class=\"line-height-alt-1\">Explore More For Students Grades K-4<\/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>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article is for students grades K-4. Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon. He was an astronaut. He flew on two space missions. One was Apollo 11. That mission landed on the moon. He was also an engineer, a pilot and a college professor. What Was Neil Armstrong\u2019s Life Like [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":48985,"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":[2849,3290,3773],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[4157,10610,12705],"coauthors":[12657],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Who Was Neil Armstrong? (Grades K-4)","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-k-4\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-k-4\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/image_feature_19_rs4.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/image_feature_19_rs4.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 K - 4","Read it!"],"dateCreated":"2012-08-28T18:43:00Z","datePublished":"2012-08-28T18:43:00Z","dateModified":"2024-06-03T16:12:34Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Who Was Neil Armstrong? (Grades K-4)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/learning-resources\/for-kids-and-students\/who-was-neil-armstrong-grades-k-4\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/image_feature_19_rs4.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2012-08-28T18:43:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Learning Resources\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Learning Resources,For Kids and Students,Grades K - 4,Read it!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA STEM Team\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":3,"time_ago":"12 years","featured_image":{"id":48985,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/image_feature_19_rs4.jpg","title":"image_feature_19_rs4","alt":"","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41528"}],"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\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41528"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":667487,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41528\/revisions\/667487"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41528"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=41528"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=41528"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=41528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}