Originally published in 2002
The National Aeronautic Association honored Neil Armstrong with its Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy last December. The award, established in 1948, is given every year to a living person for “significant public service of enduring value, as a civilian, to aviation in the United States.” Previous winners include Charles Lindbergh and Donald W. Douglas.
Armstrong, 71, is best known for his historic walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, a mission on which he served as spacecraft commander. Before that, he was a naval aviator and flew 78 combat missions in Korea, earning an Air Medal and two Gold Stars. He went on to work as a test pilot for NACA (now National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and tested, among other high-speed aircraft, the 4,000-mph X-15.
After his “small step for man,” Armstrong worked for NASA until 1971, after which he retired to become an engineering professor and a businessman.