Neil Alden Armstrong (1930-2012) was an American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon. Armstrong was a naval aviator before he joined NASA in 1962. He commanded the Apollo 11 mission, which landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the lunar surface.
After retiring from NASA, Armstrong became a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati. He also served on the National Commission on Space and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978.