Neil Armstrong - Annotated Bibliography Example

Neil Armstrong According to Chambers, the solar system was just a mystery viewed through a telescope. No one knew exactly how the moon looked like. People imagined it to be a big blue ball with mountains and valleys. Passengers flying across the Atlantic Ocean to them this acted as a new thrill that people were experiencing. The jet aeroplanes, at this time, were only making their first trails in the sky. Into this world, a man who was going to make history was born. This man was a remarkable pilot, an aerospace engineer and an astronaut. He was the first human being in the entire world to step out onto the moon. When this man was born, his parents gave him the name Neil Alden Armstrong (Chambers 4). Neil was born on 5th August 1930 in Ohio, US. His family moved a lot due to his father’s job. His mother found him to be an untroubled and serene baby evident in all his family photos that captured him being shyness. His mother read to him constantly, which instilled him with the love of books. His grandmothers loved books and they were always reading. As a result, Neil learnt how to read very early and at age three, he could read street signs very well. While at elementary level, he had already gone through at least hundred books. Hence, proving to be clever to the age he was during then that prompted the teachers advise him not to attend He was second grade but proceed further. Neil had a younger sister and brother and they all viewed him as their mother’s favourite child. This was because Neil was left in the house reading as they worked in their grandparents’ farm besides being the only one allowed to stick model planes everywhere in their house. He got the love of aeroplanes from his father (Hansen 30). Neil was interested in flying ever since he was a young boy. He worked several jobs and saved all his money so that he could take flying lessons. He graduated from high school in 1947 and enlisted in the US Navy, where he got a college scholarship in return for his services. He studied aeronautical engineering from the Purdue University in Indiana. Before Armstrong finished college, he was recalled for active duty by the navy where he went ahead to train as a military pilot. He became the youngest pilot in his squadron at twenty years when the US was involved in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. During this period, US sent many soldiers to fight as they were receiving support from S. Korea in its war against N. Korea. Neil was among those sent to S. Korea, which was among one of the 78 combat missions that he flew thus earning several medals. In 1952, he left and returned to the US to accomplish his aeronautical degree in 1955 thus earning a masters degree in aerospace engineering from the university of southern California in 1970 (Ollhoff 8). The story of landing on the moon dates back to the 1950s. In 1957, the two super powers, the US and Soviet Union, were in a cold war. Even though there were no military, battles between the two states, tensions were high besides the two being suspicious of each other. On 4th October 1957, the Soviet Union launched an unmanned satellite that transmitted radio signals for 22 days. After three months, it fell back to earth and burnt through the earth’s atmosphere. The US leaders were caught off guard and they feared that their state would be left behind in engineering and space explorations. Consequently, this led them to launching an extremely rushed rocket program exploded on the launch pad. In 1961, a soviet cosmonaut became first being to be in space, which added on US’ fears of having lagged behind. On 25th may 1961, Kennedy told the congress that they had to safely sent man to the moon and back before the end of that decade. Consequently, this led to the inception of Apollo program (Ollhoff 7). On 20th July 1969, Neil became the first man to walk on the moon (Ollhoff 7). Seventeen years had passed since Neil had left S. Korea. Armstrong became an astronaut in 1962 but motivation behind this was by his fascination of airplanes and the stars. His daughter had died in January of the same year and had avoided the emotional turmoil by hiding behind the bid to the moon (Cunningham 76). He had spent his youth testing jets by flying them over California. Then Ellington came, which was a Texas air force base. The breezes he felt while flying combat missions in S. Korea took him over again (Cunningham 76). This time it was different because he was preparing for a lunar landing- the landing on the moon. Something that had never been done before. He flew fifty feet high and pretended that he was on the moon where there is a low gravity, which was quite hard as Texas was windy (Cunningham 76). Since Neil had experience in the X-15, he was the command of the Gemini but it spun out of control because the Apollo proved to be even more difficult to fly. Furthermore, they did not know what hazards to expect in the moon. On 20th July 1969, Neil managed to land on the moon and took a few steps for about 20 seconds (Bizony 37). He was very composed and when they returned to earth, his co-pilots were more excited than he was (Bizony 37). What was amazing was how he lived a quiet and calm life. Some people described him as being a recluse as some people at NASA wished that he could have supported its initiatives publicly. He sought neither riches nor fame. He was a man faced with many options and he could have chosen to become anything he wished. However, he chose to lecture aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Commentators compare his step on the moon with Christopher Columbus’s first step in America. Both were explorers. Armstrong never understood the praises that people heaped on him. According to him, the landing on the moon was due to the hard work of hundreds of thousands of people. The accomplishment belonged to a generation of humanity (Launius 368). Neil’s demise was on 25 August 2012 aged at 82 after succumbing to complications resulting from heart-bypass surgery. Based on studies so far conducted regarding him, he accomplished numerous and varied things in his life besides having made history. He did this as a commander in the Apollo 11 Mission though this was not the only thing that defined him. He was very proud of his career especially his naval service where he flew combat missions during the Korean War when helping S. Korea. He was involved in the testing of aircraft with high performance. He was very committed when it came to his career as an educator. He was very quiet but a thoughtful force when it came to delineating the aerospace policies in the United States. Neil Armstrong will always be remembered as the first human who set his foot on the moon even though he always referred to himself as a “nerdy” engineer. Almost everyone who was old enough when the Apollo 11 touched down on the moon remember what he or she was doing. The landing briefly unified the US, a nation divided by social, racial, political and economic tensions. He will be missed for the dignity and honour with which he carried and beard the heavy weight of that accomplishment and history like a load on his back (Launius 368). Annotated bibliography Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Bottom of Form Bizony, Piers. "The Nerdy Engineer Who Made History." Engineering & Technology (17509637) 7.9 (2012): 36-39. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 July 2014. This article was written in memory of a nerd engineer and astronaut who made history. It was an obituary showing his life and achievements. The author described Neil Armstrong as a humble man who never took credit for his accomplishments. The article is very reliable as it is a scholarly peer reviewed article. Moreover, the author is objective. The author’s goal was to pay tribute to a fallen hero who will be remembered not only for his steps on the moon but for his dignity and honour. The article was very helpful in my research as it brings out Armstrong’s personality. Chambers, Catherine. Neil Armstrong. London : Raintree, 2014. Print. This book traces Neil Armstrong’s life from his childhood, his education and all the challenges that he faced before he achieved his dreams. The author also shows Armstrong’s sources of inspiration throughout his life and all that he accomplished including the historic landing on the moon. At the end of the book, the author summarizes Armstrong’s achievements and all the key milestones in his life. The book is very reliable and among all the resources, it is the most current one. The author is reliable, as she is known for her books where she tries to bring to life the achievements of great scientists in history. Chamber’s goal was to bring to life Armstrong’s achievements, which she managed to do very well. The book was very helpful in my research as it enabled me to see the achievements of Neil Armstrong through the author’s eyes. The author managed to change my perception about astronauts and to appreciate what Armstrong went through to accomplish all his achievements. Cunningham, G. C. "The Transmigration of Neil Armstrong." Western Humanities Review 67.2 (2013): 76-79. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 July 2014. This article focuses on the astronaut Neil Armstrong’s journey. The author mentions his journey in Warren County, Ohio. The author also describes how he called his second wife and discusses Neil’s golf playing and his purchase of shoes at the East gate mall. The article further describes Neil’s inner thoughts and his perception on his experience on the moon. The book is very reliable as it is a scholarly peer reviewed article. Moreover, the article was published in 2013, thus it is current. The article was very helpful to my research as I was able to see Armstrong’s thoughts and his legacy. Hansen, James R. First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong. London: Simon & Schuster, 2012. Print. This book shows a glimpse into the life of the man whose single step changed history. It gives detailed accounts of his life and his family. The author gives Armstrong’s childhood though the eyes of his family. His family and those people who were around him describes in detail. His roots and friendships with fellow astronauts are brought out in detail. Hansen gives a detail account of his life, career and the apollo11. This book is very reliable and the author is very objective. This resource is the most detailed about Armstrong and the Apollo 11 amongst all the resources I have used. The goal of the author was to show Armstrong’s mission on the moon as the world marked the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. The book helped me in my research, as the author was very detailed and thorough in explaining the moon landing mission and the man behind it. The author managed to bring out an in-depth look of the man who made history. Launius, Roger D. "Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)." Nature 489.7416 (2012): 368. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 July 2014. This article is an obituary of a man who made history. The author touches on Neil Armstrong’s childhood, his education, naval career and his stint at NASA. Moreover, the author brings out Armstrong’s noble characteristics, humility and gentleness and shows why he will be remembered by many generations. The author also shows how Neil died. The article is a good summary of Neil’s life and his achievements. The author is very reliable as he is a senior curator with the National Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian Division of Space History. He is therefore objective. The author’s goal was to pay tribute to a great man who made history. The article is very helpful as it shows Armstrong’s achievements and legacy. The author managed to bring out Armstrong’s legacy and the reasons as to why he will be remembered as a great man in history. Ollhoff, Jim. Neil Armstrong. Minneapolis, MN: ABDO Publishing Company, 2013. Print. This book introduces Neil Armstrong to the readers as a great explorer who was the first person to set foot and walk on the moon. The author examines Armstrong’s life history from childhood, education and career, including his career in the US navy and his service in the Korean War. The author covers Armstrong’s career at NASA in detail including the Apollo and the Gemini programs. His historic mission on the Apollo 11 is also discussed in detail. The book is a reliable source. The author describes Armstrong’s career thoroughly including his historic mission on the Apollo 11. Moreover, Ollhoff, the author, is very objective. Ollhoff’s goal was to bring out Armstrong’s achievements and legacy throughout his career. This source was very helpful in my research especially on Armstrong’s career and legacy. It helped me shape my argument by bringing out Armstrong as one of the greatest men in history. Work Cited Bizony, Piers. "The Nerdy Engineer Who Made History." Engineering & Technology (17509637) 7.9 (2012): 36-39. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 July 2014. Chambers, Catherine. Neil Armstrong. London : Raintree, 2014. Print. Cunningham, G. C. "The Transmigration of Neil Armstrong." Western Humanities Review 67.2 (2013): 76-79. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 July 2014. Hansen, James R. First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong. London: Simon & Schuster, 2012. Print. Launius, Roger D. "Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)." Nature 489.7416 (2012): 368. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 July 2014. Ollhoff, Jim. Neil Armstrong. Minneapolis, MN: ABDO Publishing Company, 2013. Print. Read More