Neil Armstrong loved to fly. First he got his pilot’s license. Then he got his driver’s license. Armstrong flew for the Navy in the Korean War. He flew 78 combat missions. He got three medals. After the war, Neil went to Purdue University for college. Then he became a test pilot. He flew high speed rocket planes like the X-15.

Neil joined NASA’s astronaut program. On March 16, 1966, Gemini 8 was launched. Armstrong was the command pilot. His spacecraft docked with an unmanned craft. Then there was to be a walk in space. Something went wrong. The mission was cut short. Later, Neil was a back-up pilot for Gemini 11.

Neil was also back-up commander for Apollo 8. Then he was made commander for Apollo 11. Apollo 11 landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Armstrong was the first to go outside. He said, “That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.” He said, or meant to say, the “a.” It could not be heard.

After that, Neil did many things. He was a teacher. He served on two space flight investigations. He worked for some companies. He gave some speeches, but he preferred to live a private life. Armstrong stopped giving autographs because he found out people were selling them.