Yesterday, Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the Moon, passed away.

Neil Alden Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

In the Navy, Neil Armstrong became a pilot and fought in the Korean War. After his military service, he was awarded a bachelor’s in aeronautical engineering in 1955 from Purdue University. Later, he became a test pilot, and in the ’50s and ’60s conducted many tests, even X-15 rocket planes. In 1970 he was awarded a Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California

In 1962, Neil Armstrong was selected as an astronaut by NASA. In 1966, he commanded the Gemini 8 mission. In 1968, he was commander of the backup crew of the Apollo 8 mission.

In July 1969, Neil Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 mission and on July 21 he became the first man to walk on the moon, a milestone in the history of mankind.

After the Apollo 11 mission, Neil Armstrong announced that he wouldn’t fly again in space. In 1971, he resigned from NASA and became a teacher in the department of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati. He kept that job until 1979.

Neil Armstrong was nominated to the committee that investigated the incident at the Apollo 13 in 1970 and in 1986 to the commission that investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy.

Neil Armstrong was a very private person so he declined offers to enter politics and for years also to become a spokesperson for some companies. Over the years, however, he agreed to work for some American companies, on their boards of directors and sometimes as a spokesman.

Neil Armstrong married Janet Elizabeth Shearon in 1956. They had three children but divorced in 1994. In the same year, he married Carol Held Knight.

Earlier this month, Neil Armstrong had to undergo delicate heart surgery. He seemed to be recovering but yesterday he died.

Neil Armstrong’s first small step on the Moon was really one giant leap for mankind. Now it’s up to us to decide whether to continue to make progress on the same path or stop and decay.