Science has advanced and several missions have made it into space, some to the moon. However, it was Neil Armstrong whose who made history as the first man to step on the lunar surface , 50 years ago. An American astronaut and aeronautical engineer he was on the Apollo 11, the first manned mission to land on the moon. Born on August 5, 1930, Armstrong passed away on August 25, 2012. While Neil Armstrong's name remains etched as the first man on moon, there is more to him that not everyone may know. On his seventh death anniversary, we tell you some lesser-known facts about the great astronaut. Moon Landing 50th Anniversary: 13 Spectacular Facts About NASA’s First Moon Mission and Apollo 11.

Lesser-Known Facts About Neil Armstrong

  • Neil Armstrong did a lot of odd jobs from his childhood. At the age of 10, he used to mow a cemetery in Ohio. He earned that money to take flying lessons!

  • He loved flying from a very early age. He experienced his first flight around the age of five to six. By the age of 16, he had his pilot's license. This was even before he received his driver's license.

  • Neil Armstrong became a test pilot after graduating from college. He could fly more than 200 different types of aircraft, including rocket plane, sailplanes and gliders.

  • Armstrong was a naval aviator who fought in the Korean War as a fighter pilot. He flew about 78 combat missions during the war. He worked as a naval aviator for three years, until 1952.

  • Neil Armstrong joined NASA Astronaut Corps in 1962. His first spaceflight was as a commander of Gemini 8 in March 1966. With this, he also became the first civilian from NASA to fly in space.

  • Neil Armstrong started with NASA when it was called NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics). He spent 17 years there in different roles from engineer to administrator.

  • One of the personal things that Neil Armstrong carried with him to the moon and back was a World Scout Badge.

  • Although, Neil Armstrong made a name for being the first person to step on moon, there is not really a picture of him on the lunar surface. The iconic photo that we see of the moon landing is of Buzz Aldrin and Neil is only seen in the reflection of his helmet.

  • Neil Armstrong passed away due to complications in a heart surgery in 2012, but there seems to be a case of medical negligence. The family is said to have settled with the hospital in return of $6 million.

These are some of the facts about the American astronaut, who lived a humble life after he retired. The successful landing on the lunar surface gave him global honours from not one but 17 countries. Despite all the fame, Armstrong was not too keen to speak in public or attend events. Even during the mission, he was more concerned about reaching the moon successfully, than being the first one to step there.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 25, 2019 08:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).