[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 121 (Tuesday, September 11, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        MOON MAN NEIL ARMSTRONG

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 11, 2012

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, years ago, a view of Earth from 
238,900 miles away seemed impossible until Neil Armstrong became the 
first human to reach the unreachable. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong 
landed Apollo 11 running on fumes and set foot on the moon, where he 
left a foot imprint of a little less than an inch deep. ``Houston, 
Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed,'' were the words he 
radioed in the moment he achieved a national goal and changed the 
course of space exploration.
  In the 2 hours and 19 minutes of the moonwalk, Armstrong became one 
of the most significant American heroes. His out-of-this-world 
accomplishment drew the attention of our ambitious nation and people 
worldwide. Six hundred million viewers watched and listened to his 
historical landing that day. As he said, ``That's one small step for 
man, one giant leap for mankind.'' I watched live Armstrong's first 
steps on the moon on an old black and white T.V. in Texas.
  Armstrong was described as a man who ``cherished his privacy and 
always appreciated the expressions of good will from people around the 
world and all walks of life.'' Two weeks ago, we lost this man who, in 
turn, made a national dream come true and inspired people around the 
world and all walks of life.
  He was born August 5, 1939 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. When he was 6, he 
climbed into a plane for his first ride. His talent was born at a young 
age when he began crafting model airplanes and had impressively 
collected enough books for a well-stocked aviation library. His above-
average intellect was noticeable in his performance in his high school 
math and science classes. After his graduation, he attended Purdue 
University but only stayed two years to go on and fly combat missions 
in the Korean War as a Navy Pilot. Eight years later, he went back to 
the university and graduated with a degree in aeronautical engineering. 
Then, he joined the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, later 
becoming NASA, where he started his path to his historical leap into 
space. Armstrong made a name for himself during his seven years at a 
NACA high speed flight station at Edwards Airforce Base in California. 
His immeasurable accomplishments were rewarded in September of 1962, 
when NASA chose him to be an astronaut. Little did they know, they also 
selected the man who would later become the first human to set foot on 
the moon.
  Armstrong thought of himself as a ``nerdy'' engineer. His family 
thought of him as a ``loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and 
friend.'' His colleagues thought of him as a ``daring, yet humble 
person'' and the world thinks of him as one of the greatest heroes of 
all time.
  He left his mark in space and on earth. Whether or not ``someone goes 
up there and cleans up his footprints'' like he had hoped, he'll never 
be forgotten.
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________