Monday, August 05, 2024

We remember Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)



We remember Neil Armstrong who was born in Ohio on this day in 1930.

Many of us are old enough to remember when Neil Armstrong & Apollo 11 landed on the moon.

Back then, men like Neil Armstrong, and the other astronauts, were huge heroes.  We admired them.  We loved them.  They were just great.  We watched the launches.  We adored watching the capsule hit the water when the mission was completed.

He was a simple man born in the Midwest:
"Born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, Armstrong had acquired his student pilot's licence by the age of 16. In 1947, he went to Purdue University on a navy scholarship to study aeronautical engineering, but two years later the Korean war intervened, and he flew 78 combat missions. Eventually he completed his BSc at Purdue and an MSc in aerospace engineering at the University of Southern California.
In 1955 he went to Cleveland, Ohio, as a civilian research pilot at the Lewis Research Centre of what became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), and later that year to Edwards Air Force Base in California. As a pioneer of many high-speed aircraft, involved in both piloting and engineering, he flew over 200 different models, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders."
Over the last years, we've cut back on NASA.  We are no longer in the space exploration business.  What a lousy way to remember the legacy of Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11.

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