

They also had to come back to Earth safely.Īpollo 11 blasted off on July 16, 1969. Apollo 11's mission was to land two men on the moon. They were ready to put people on the moon. Was NASA ready to go to the moon? The president and NASA knew they could do it. The United States had just started trying to put people in space. Kennedy was the president of the United States. Go here to watch a video about Neil Armstrong.Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins and Buzz Aldrin flew on the Apollo 11 mission. Your browser does not support the audio element.
#First man on the moon date manual#
There was one scary moment in the flight where Armstrong had to take over manual control of the landing. The Apollo 11 lander, the Eagle, on the MoonĪfter months of practice and preparation, the Apollo 11 spacecraft launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 16, 1969. If the flight was successful, Armstrong would be that man. The United States was in a race with the Soviet Union to put the first man on the Moon.

This was an exciting time for the entire country. This would be the first manned landing on the Moon. On DecemNeil was offered the command of the Apollo 11. The mission was cut short, however, when the capsules began to roll. He was the command pilot of the space capsule and piloted the first successful docking of two vehicles in space.
#First man on the moon date series#
He had to go through a series of harsh physical tests, but he passed and was soon part of the "new nine", or second group of nine NASA astronauts.Īrmstrong's first trip into space was aboard the Gemini 8. He flew over 200 different types of aircraft during his career.Īrmstrong applied to become an astronaut and in September of 1962 he was selected for the NASA Astronaut Corps.

It was a dangerous job, but very exciting. He flew all sorts of experimental planes testing them out to see how well they flew. At one point his plane was hit by enemy fire, but he was able to eject and was safely rescued.Īfter graduating from college, Armstrong became a test pilot. He fought in the Korean War where he flew fighters from aircraft carriers. During college, Neil was called up by the Navy and became a fighter pilot. He later got his masters degree at the University of Southern California. At the age of 15, he got his pilot's license.Īrmstrong went to Purdue University and earned his bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering. From then on his goal was to become a pilot.

His love for flying started at a young age when his father took him to an air show.
