Honoring Neil Armstrong as He Receives the NASA Ambassador of Exploration Award

HONORING NEIL ARMSTRONG AS HE RECEIVES THE NASA AMBASSADOR OF EXPLORATION AWARD -- (Extensions of Remarks - April 26, 2006)

* Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Neil Armstrong, a war hero, teacher, businessman, and one of the world's greatest explorers, who received the prestigious National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ambassador of Exploration Award on April 18, 2006 at the Cincinnati Museum Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

* An Ohio native son, Neil Armstrong rewrote history in July of 1969 when he was the first man to set foot on the moon. Mr. Armstrong served as commander of Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission. He was accompanied on this historical journey to the moon by Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin.

* Born in 1930, Mr. Armstrong always had a fascination for airplanes and space travel. He started taking flying lessons at the age of fifteen and received his pilot's license at the age of sixteen.

* After graduating from high school in 1947, Mr. Armstrong entered Purdue University with a U.S. Navy Scholarship. He started working toward an aeronautical engineering degree, but in 1949, he was called to active duty with the U.S. Navy. He was awarded his jet wings at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida at the age of 20, making him the youngest pilot in his squadron. During his service in Korea, he flew 78 combat missions in Navy panther jets earning three Air Medals. After his service, he returned to Purdue to complete his bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering in 1955. He went on to earn his master's in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California in 1970.

* Mr. Armstrong joined NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), NASA's predecessor, where as a research test pilot he piloted the X-I5, an experimental rocket plane. In 1962, he attained astronaut status and in 1966 served as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Following his 1969 mission to the moon, Mr. Armstrong held the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics at NASA for several years.

* Aside from his sizeable contributions to aeronautics, Mr. Armstrong has also made an impact in the college classroom. From 1971-1979, he was a professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati.

* He previously served as chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation in Charlottesville, Virginia, and chairman of the board of AIL Systems, an electronics systems company located in New York. He currently serves as chairman of CTA Inc. in Lebanon, Ohio.

* In addition to worldwide recognition for his role on the Apollo 11, Mr. Armstrong has earned countless awards and distinctions for his many accomplishments, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award bestowed upon a U.S. citizen; the NASA Distinguished Service Medal; the NASA Exceptional Service Medal; and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. He is a former Chairman of the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History.

* Mr. Armstrong and his wife Carol currently reside in Indian Hill and own a farm in Warren County. He has two grown sons.

* All of us in the Cincinnati area congratulate Neil Armstrong on receiving the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ambassador of Exploration Award.

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