Neil Armstrong

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"

-Neil Armstrong

"Hi! My name is Neil Armstrong! I have always dreamed of flying. Ever since the air show my dad took me to when I was 2 in Wapakoneta, Ohio, I have wanted nothing more than to fly high in the sky."

Growing up, one of my favorite things to do was to look up at the sky and imagine myself flying through the air and into space. But I didn't know how to do that besides in my dreams...

So to help achieve my dreams of flying I got my pilot's license when I turned 16 years old. I had my pilot's license before I even got my driver's license. This was one big step forward for me and my goal of flying through the sky to new places.

Then to help achieve my dreams of flying I joined the Navy and became a fighter pilot. There I got to live out my dream of flying new places while also getting to help people out. But even with this, the desire to go somewhere I hadn't before was growing. I wanted to fly higher and go farther than anyone had before.

After the war, I joined an organization called NACA or National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics where I was an engineer who designed and tested various planes. Later NACA became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA we know and love today.

I worked at NASA for 17 years and during that time I flew over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders. I was able to achieve my dreams over and over again each time I flew a craft.

Then it came time for my dream to come true. In 1962, I became an astronaut and went through rigorous training to be able to complete the Gemini 8 Mission. But this was just the first step to my career as an astronaut.