Neil Armstrong served as the commander of Apollo 11 in 1969, making it the first lunar landing mission. Through this, Armstrong gained distinction as the first man to land on the moon as well as the first to have ever stepped on its surface.

Subsequently, Armstrong held the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics at NASA from 1970 to 1971. Neil has received numerous special honors, among these; the Presidential Medal for Freedom in 1969, the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy in 1970; the Robert J. Collier Trophy in 1969; and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978.

Armstrong served as a naval aviator for three years from 1949 to 1952, flying 78 combat missions during the Korean War. He once joined NASA's predecessor, NACA as a research pilot at the Lewis Laboratory in Cleveland and later transferred to the high-speed flight station at Edwards AFB, California.

Neil served as a project pilot on many pioneering high-speed aircraft and has flown over 200 different models of aircraft such as jets, rockets, helicopters, and gliders. Armstrong was transferred to astronaut status in 1962. In March of 1966 when the Gemini 8 Mission was launched, he served as the command pilot and performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space.

Neil Armstrong holds a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering, a Master of Science in aerospace engineering and several honorary doctorates from distinct universities.

Armstrong was a professor of aerospace engineering during 1971 to 1979 at the University of Cincinnati, involved in not only teaching but research as well. He is currently a Chairman for AIL Systems, Inc. in Deer Park, N.Y.