Neil Armstrong

Essay by Chris VatcherCollege, UndergraduateA+, March 1997

download word file, 3 pages 5.0

Background

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Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio in the year 1930. His services as a pilot were called upon during the Korean War. Shortly after graduating from Purdue University in 1955, Armstrong joined the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, then known as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. At the time the functions of the N.A.C. were to plan, direct, and conduct all United States aeronautical and space activities, except for those that were primarily military. Armstrong served as a civilian test pilot at Edwards Air Base in Lancaster, California. In 1962 Armstrong became the first civilian to enter the astronaut-training program.

Gemini VII Mission

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        In March of 1966, Armstrong completed his training and became the command pilot of the Gemini 8 mission. The crew of this mission was made up of David R. Scott and himself. In case of any emergencies with the two men before the launch, either physical or mental, a backup crew was made.

The backup crew consisted of Charles Conrad Junior, and Richard Gordon Junior. The objectives of the mission were:

        A. (Main) Rendezvous and dock with Gemini Agena target vehicle (GATV) and

conduct EVA operations.

        B. (Secondary) Rendezvous and dock in the 4th revolution. Perform docked-

vehicle maneuvers, Evaluate systems and conduct 10 experiments.

The mission was set to launch on March 15, 1966. Due to minor problems with the spacecraft and launch vehicle hardware the launch was delayed one day. The launch was successful. Because of problems with the spacecraft control system, the crew was forced to undock after approximately thirty minutes. The spacecraft-target vehicle combination had begun to encounter increasing yaw and roll rates. The crew regained control of their spacecraft by using the reentry control system, which prompted and early landing in a secondary landing area in the...