Neil Armstrong, In His Own Words
The first moonwalker's storied aviation career
- By Tony Reichhardt
- AirSpaceMag.com, August 27, 2012
NASA
Neil Armstrong was always, first and foremost, an airplane guy. In an aviation career spanning more than six decades, the Apollo 11 commander, who died August 25 at the age of 82, spent only eight years as an astronaut. The rest of the time he was a naval aviator, test pilot, bureaucrat, professor, aerospace executive, and consultant.
The public’s focus on his 21 hours on the moon in 1969 seemed to puzzle Armstrong, although of course it shouldn’t have. He will forever be known as our first extraterrestrial explorer, whether he saw himself that way or not. In 2005, he lamented to 60 Minutes interviewer Ed Bradley, “I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks, but for the ledger of our daily work.”
Even the title of “first man on the moon” seemed an uncomfortable fit. He and Buzz Aldrin had landed on the lunar surface together, and Armstrong was always quick to acknowledge that Apollo 11 was a team effort. That was his style—never inflating his own accomplishments, always trying to tell it straight, unvarnished, to say only what the facts would support.
The characterization of him as a recluse was exaggerated. He wasn’t Howard Hughes, growing his fingernails long. He appeared in public often, but never came through with the kind of showy, emotive performance some people may have preferred. In a press conference following the first lunar landing, a reporter asked the Apollo 11 crew “How do you propose to restore some normalcy to your private lives in the years ahead?” Armstrong answered, with a wry smile, “It kind of depends on you.” In the 40-plus years that followed, the press never did stop asking him, What was it really like?
The astronaut’s family called him “a reluctant American hero” and issued the following statement after his death: “For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.”
See the gallery above for a recap of Armstong’s career as pilot and astronaut, in his own words.
Pictured: Armstrong in the cockpit of the X-15 in 1961, a year before becoming an astronaut.
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Comments (6)
A brush with death and he bites his tongue, is that the secret to a successful carrier that includes Washington? I was just exiting teenage hood when he and Buzz landed, a young adult who had followed the race and was ready to do my part when reality and the economy of the '70s hit. When someone tries to win an argument with things were different then say yes, there were not as many negative people then. After the moon many of us felt we could solve any problem with out today's collateral damage with today's solutions. Enough regulations now there are few home built solar collectors compared to then. Those were heady times to bad we ruined it with the Department of Education. Neil and Buzz will always be my role models.
Posted by Terry on August 27,2012 | 04:40 PM
Who shall be the next Amstrong in America. Who shall be fearless like the late hero?
Posted by Gift on August 29,2012 | 01:47 AM
There shall never be another Armstrong in America....another fearless hero. We are too advanced now...or, in the words of William Shatner's narrative during the opening credits of Star Trek: "Space, the final frontier." Space truly is the final frontier and now matter now if we put a man (or woman) on Mars, Venus or Jupiter, it will not have the same excitement or drama as Armstrong's lunar landing. It was the FIRST time man ventured from the earth and stood on ground not part of the earth. We were still relatively naive with regards to space travel. It hadn't been that long since the Apollo 1 fire claimed the lives of three American astronauts. There were still many questions regarding whether Armstrong and Aldrin could safely lift off of the moon and return to earth.
Now, spaceflight has become so routine, we hardly pay any attention to a launch or a landing.
No, there will never again be a hero the likes of Neil Armstrong. There will never be a "next" one...
Posted by Thomas Carr on August 30,2012 | 04:58 PM
He was a quiet emissary for Earth and for the United States. I was a little kid when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon but recall all the excitement. It changed history and brought President Kennedy's challenge to fruition.
We need more challenges that make us stretch and grow, and less challenges like militarism and arms races that simply waste our precious resources -- including human life. Thank of all that we can accomplish by working together as a species!
Posted by Ken O'Brien on September 5,2012 | 12:00 PM
Neil Armstrong like Charles Lindbergh were "Firsts", neither basked in the limelight. Just quietly moving into history without fanfare, unique American qualities.
Posted by Ben M. Colcol on September 22,2012 | 06:17 PM
Why do we not have a national holiday for Neil Armstrong??? He is clearly one of the bravest men this country and the world has ever known.
Posted by Don Bille on January 2,2013 | 11:01 PM