Neil Armstrong Records Unveiled At Wapakoneta Museum

For decades, Neil Armstrong’s official world record certificates have been unavailable to public viewing.  However, the Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta, OH has now brought these treasures of aviation and space exploration history out of storage, and made them accessible to the public once more.  The collection includes world records from across Armstrong’s career, including records from his mission to the Moon and from his Learjet 28 flights.

Neil Armstrong in May, 1952.

Armstrong, born in 1930 in Wapakoneta, spent his early career in aeronautics as a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952.  He later joined NACA (National Advisory Committee in Aeronautics), the predecessor to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), in 1955.  For the following 17 years, Armstrong was many things to NACA, and later NASA.  He served as a test pilot, astronaut, and eventually as an administrator.  Armstrong also had stints as an engineer and a research pilot.  Perhaps, most well known as the pilot for the Gemini 8 mission and the commander for the Apollo 11 mission, the first manned lunar landing mission, Armstrong flew over 200 varieties of aircraft during his lifetime.  Additionally, he possessed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California, eventually becoming a professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati from 1971-1979

The records on display include his Apollo 11 records: greatest mass landed on the Moon, greatest mass lifted off from the Moon, longest stay on the lunar surface, longest stay outside of the spacecraft, and longest stay outside of the spacecraft on the lunar surface.  In 1979, while still continuing to push the limits of aviation and engineering, Armstrong would be granted several additional world record certificates while piloting the Learjet 28.  Those records include two for altitude, two for altitude in horizontal flight, and one for time to climb to 15,000 meters.  The Learjet 28 that he piloted during those record setting flights was transported last year to the Armstrong Air & Space Museum, and is currently on display.  The records themselves were certified by two governing bodies, the FAI (World Air Sports Federation) and the NAA (National Aeronautic Association).

Visitors to the museum can view the world record certificates in the Modern Space Gallery of the museum. For more information:  https://www.armstrongmuseum.org/

Angela Decker

Angela Decker, from McPherson, Kansas, discovered her passion for aviation after earning a Master’s in Military History from Norwich University in 2011. Since 2012, she has volunteered with vintage aviation groups, excelling as a social media content creator and coordinator. Angela has coordinated aviation and WWII events, appeared as Rosie the Riveter, and is restoring a Stearman aircraft. She is the Operations Logistics Coordinator at CAF Airbase Georgia and an accountant with a degree in Economics from the University of Georgia. Her son, Caden, shares her love for aviation and history and is studying Digital Media Arts.

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