[DeTomaso] NPC God Speed Neil

[Larry - Ohio Time Corp]

Neil Armstrong, the test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor,
United States Naval Aviator and American astronaut, has died at the age of
82 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His death was due to complications resulting from
recent cardiovascular procedures carried out to relieve blocked arteries. He
will forever be remembered by the history books as the first man to step
foot on the Moon, the defining moment for a generation and inspiration to
the generations that followed.


Early taste for flying


Born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio, he acquired a love for flying
early with his father taking him to the Cleveland Air Races when he was just
two. He had his first airplane flight when he was six in a Ford Trimotor
and, after his family moved to Wapakoneta in 1944, he began taking flying
lessons at the county airport. He earned his flight certificate when he was
15, before he even had a driver's license.

Although he was accepted to MIT, he began attending Purdue University in
1947 where he studied aerospace engineering with his college tuition paid
under the Holloway Plan. This required him to commit to two years of study,
followed by three years of service in the U.S. Navy, before finishing the
degree with another two years of study.

In January 1949, Armstrong received a call-up from the Navy to report to
Naval Air Station Pensacola for flight training. After almost 18 months, he
qualified for carrier landing and in August, 1950, he received notification
that he was a fully qualified Naval Aviator.

After being assigned to Fleet Aircraft Service Squadron 7 at NAS San Diego
and then the all-jet Fighter Squadron 51, he made his first jet flight in an
F9F-2B Panther in January, 1951. This was followed by his first jet carrier
landing in June. That month he was also promoted from Midshipman to Ensign
and was bound for Korea.

Armstrong flew 78 missions over Korea, racking up a total of 121 flight
hours with the majority of missions flying armed reconnaissance over the
primary transportation and storage facilities south of the village of
Majon-ni. He received the Air Medal for 20 combat missions, a Gold Star for
the next 20, and the Korean Service Medal and Engagement Star, before
leaving the Navy on August 23, 1952, and becoming a Lieutenant, Junior Grade
in the U.S. Naval Reserve.

He the returned to Purdue, where he met Janet Elizabeth Shearon, who would
become his first wife on January 28, 1956. He received his Bachelor of
Science degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue in 1955, before later
gaining a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the
University of Southern California in 1970, along with honorary doctorates
from numerous universities.


Testing times


After graduating from Purdue, Armstrong become an experimental research test
pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics High-Speed Flight
Station at Edwards Air Force Base in July 1955, where he logged over 900
flights in more than 200 different aircraft, including the Bell X-1B, the
North American X-15 and the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. During this time, he
was involved in a number of incidents and while many test pilots praised his
engineering ability, others felt that pilot-engineers like Armstrong flew in
a way that was more mechanical than those with natural flying ability.

 

In 1958, he was selected for the U.S. Air Force's Man in Space Soonest
program, which was attempting to beat the Soviet Union in putting a man into
outer space. The program was cancelled later that year and replaced with
NASA's Project Mercury in 1959. After his application to become part of the
second group of NASA astronauts in June, 1962, he joined the NASA Astronaut
Corps in September of that year as one of two civilian pilots selected for
the group of nine.

On September 20, 1965, Armstrong was announced as Command Pilot for Gemini
8, which launched on March 16, 1966. This mission involved the first-ever
docking between two spacecraft. Although the docking was successful, the
docked spacecraft began to roll and the mission ultimately had to be cut
short with most of the objectives - including a planned EVA by the pilot
David Scott - had to be cancelled.

 

Armstrong then served as CAPCOM on Gemini 11, which launched on September
12, 1966, before serving as backup commander for Apollo 8. As Apollo 8
orbited the Moon on December 23, 1968, Armstrong was offered the post of
commander of Apollo 11. A March 1969 meeting between NASA management gave
Armstrong the thumbs up to be the first man on the Moon. This was supposedly
at least partly because he was seen as a person without a big ego, although
the design of the Lunar Module (LM) cabin was given as the official reason.


That giant leap


 

At 20:17:39 UTC on July 20, 1969, the LM touched down on the surface of the
Moon. A few hours later, at 2:56 UTC on July 21, 1969, Armstrong descended
the ladder from the LM and set his left foot down on the lunar surface to
say, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

Although Armstrong claimed that the "a" was obscured by static in the
broadcast, he eventually conceded he may have dropped it. He is quoted later
in Guidebook for the scientific traveler: visiting astronomy and space, that
he "would hope that history would grant me leeway for dropping the syllable
and understand that it was certainly intended, even if it was not said -
although it might actually have been." However, more recent analysis is said
to confirm Armstrong did indeed say "a man," although this has not been
absolutely confirmed.

Whether he did or he didn't, from that moment on Neil Armstrong became one
of the most recognizable names in human history. Out of an estimated world
population of 3.6 billion, it is estimated that around 600 million people
watched the grainy TV images. He was joined some 20 minutes later by Buzz
Aldrin and the two planted the flag of the United States, which - as Aldrin
said - appears to have toppled
<http://www.gizmag.com/apollo-moon-flags-standing/23523/>  over when the
LM's Ascent stage lifted off.


A household name


 

After returning to Earth, Armstrong and his crew-mates took part in a 45-day
"Giant Leap" tour across the U.S. and around the world and he also took part
in Bob Hope's 1969 USO show. However, he largely shunned the spotlight and
announced his intention not to fly in space again shortly after Apollo 11.

He then became Deputy Associate Administrator for aeronautics for the Office
of Advanced Research and Technology, Advanced Research Projects Agency
(ARPA), but served in this position for only a year before resigning from it
and NASA as a whole in 1971.

He then went into teaching, taking a position in the Department of Aerospace
Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Despite having offers from
bigger and better known schools, he made this decision as he was concerned
that faculty members at other schools might have been annoyed that he came
straight into a professorship with only the USC master's degree. After eight
years teaching, he resigned in 1979 with no explanation as to why.

During his years teaching, he was approached by numerous businesses wishing
to employ him as a spokesman but he turned down all offers. This was until
1979, when he began appearing in advertisements for Chrysler, as he believed
it had a strong engineering division and were also in financial difficulty.
He also acted as a spokesman for General Time Corporation and the Banker's
Association of America. He also served on the board of directors of several
companies and served on the Rogers Commission that investigated the Space
Shuttle Challenger disaster.

 

In February, 1991, Armstrong suffered a mild heart attack while skiing at
Aspen, Colorado. Following complications resulting from surgery on August 7,
2012, to relieve blocked coronary arteries, Armstrong passed away on August
25, in Cincinnati, Ohio, prompting accolades from friends, family and world
leaders.


Tributes


 

Armstrong's family released a statement saying, "Neil Armstrong was also a
reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job. He
served his Nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and
astronaut. He also found success back home in his native Ohio in business
and academia, and became a community leader in Cincinnati.

While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable
life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world
to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and
push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves."

Apollo 11 crew-mate Buzz Aldrin said, "I am very saddened to learn of the
passing of Neil Armstrong today. Neil and I trained together as technical
partners but were also good friends who will always be connected through our
participation in the Apollo 11 mission. Whenever I look at the moon it
reminds me of the moment over four decades ago when I realized that even
though we were farther away from earth than two humans had ever been, we
were not alone."

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said, "as long as there are history books,
Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's
first small step on a world beyond our own," adding, "besides being one of
America's greatest explorers, Neil carried himself with a grace and humility
that was an example to us all."

Larry - Cleveland