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How Neil Armstrong Changed History 87
The Full Story Of How As he took partial manual control over NASA's confidence in completing a successful
the lander, Armstrong realized the automated moon landing, and Apollo 11 was given the go-
Neil Armstrong Changed landing system had sent the module to a spot ahead to attempt the feat. While it's possible Neil
miles away from the intended landing site and Armstrong was named commander of that
History When He Walked toward dangerously large boulders. Armstrong particular flight for merely being next in line,
On The Moon took over complete manual control of the craft space program reporter Jay Barbree wrote in
and looked through the moon fog for a clear Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight that
space to land, knowing he was using more fuel Armstrong's dedication to mastering control of
By Erin McCann than planned. With less than 50 seconds of fuel the lunar landing training vehicle, his experience
remaining, Armstrong managed to safely bring as a test pilot, and his humble, non-competitive
the lunar module to rest on the moon's surface. attitude earned him the spot on the critical
Neil Armstrong made history on July 20, 1969, mission.
by becoming the first man on the moon, but he Armstrong Escaped Several Who would exit the lunar module first
didn't brag about his experiences on Apollo 11. Potentially Fatal Accidents Before and make history was another matter. Buzz
Facts surrounding the historic mission are more Aldrin lobbied hard for the honor even though
Apollo 11
well-known than the story of the man who took Armstrong was the commander. In line with his
that first step. Armstrong was such a soft-spoken well-meaning attitude, Armstrong refused to get
Neil Armstrong's ability to handle potentially
and levelheaded guy - he might have been involved in the discussion, claiming the decision
dangerous flight situations was tested several
forgotten if it weren't for his accomplishments in was entirely up to NASA officials. It's believed
times before he boarded Apollo 11. As a part of
space travel. the deciding factor in the debate came down to
the 1966 Gemini 8 mission, Armstrong
Unlike his outspoken crewmate Buzz the layout of the module and the fact that
successfully helped complete the first docking
Aldrin, Armstrong refused to become a celebrity Armstrong's seat was closest to the hatch.
of two spacecraft while in orbit. While those on
or take advantage of his fame. Neil Armstrong
the ground initially celebrated, a technical
facts reveal a lifelong commitment to flying and Armstrong Stayed Private And Hated
malfunction sent the connected craft into a
acting for the greater good that earned him an To Be Singled Out For The Apollo 11
dangerous spin. Spinning so fast that his vision
opportunity as an astronaut. His humble
blurred, Armstrong acted quickly and used the Team's Accomplishments
personality left some people cold, but
re-entry system to fix the problem after trying
Armstrong gained their respect and received the
other countermeasures, abruptly aborting the While other astronauts went on to write books
commander assignment that would make him
mission to get himself and his crewmate safely about their accomplishments and Buzz Aldrin
famous. His team accomplished its goal with
back to Earth. made headlines for punching a conspiracy
millions of television viewers looking on,
Armstrong spent most of his time after theorist in the face, Neil Armstrong remained a
despite the persistence of moon landing
the Gemini 8 mission testing and perfecting a mostly private individual after returning to
conspiracies. Armstrong may not reign as one of
module simulating a lunar landing. He found Earth. Many of his fellow astronauts and co-
history's most prominent personalities, but his
himself in another emergency situation testing workers thought of him as a cold person due to
dedication, commitment, and humility were
this vehicle two years later. During a test flight his reserved, no-frills personality. Armstrong is
essential in helping America reach the moon.
200 feet above the ground, the module began often given credit for his humility. His ex-wife,
spinning in circles and smoking. Seconds before Janet, also pointed out he felt guilty for getting
Armstrong Had To Make Emergency
it crashed to the ground, Armstrong escaped via so much individual attention for something that
Adjustments To The Lunar Landing parachute and then went back to work in the was a group effort.
On The Fly Due To A Computer Glitch hangar, seemingly unshaken by the near-death
experience. (Continued on Page 88)
Many people had rocketed into space before it
was Apollo 11's turn, but since they'd be the first Armstrong Was The First Man To
to land on alien soil, piloting the lunar module Walk On The Moon Because Of The If you have a story that you would like
safely down to the actual surface of the moon to submit for publication in the next
Lunar Module's Seating Arrangement
was an untested experience. Neil Armstrong had edition of
practiced with simulations on Earth and, luckily, The ‘X’ Chronicles Newspaper,
The fact that Apollo 11 became the first space
was prepared when alarms in the module went email
mission to land on the moon was partially the
off 33,000 feet above the lunar surface. Ground publisher@xchroniclesnewspaper.com
work of fate. Incremental advancements made
controllers let them know the onboard computer a division of REL-MAR.com
by Apollo 8, 9, and 10 had gradually increased
was overloading with too much data.
