The Apollo 11 crew: Who they were and how they were remembered

The Apollo 11 astronauts became instant heroes on July 20, 1969. Here's how they got to be among NASA's most talented, what they did after the landing and how they are remembered.

Neil Armstrong

Modest and unassuming, Armstrong was, for some an enigma, remaining private and declining almost all interviews. But those who met him when he visited Grumman in Bethpage to test the Lunar Module in 1968 described him as gracious, grateful, down-to-earth and approachable. While known for shunning the spotlight, on the rare occasions when he did address crowds, the man viewed as a hero and icon was a thoughtful speaker.

Background

Armstrong was born Aug. 5, 1930 on a farm in Wapakoneta, Ohio, took his first airplane ride at age 6, and got his license to fly at 16. He earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. Armstrong flew 78 combat missions as a Navy fighter pilot in the Korean War. Later he was a research pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in California, serving as a test pilot on pioneering high-speed aircraft including the famed 4,000-mph X-15 rocket plane. He flew more than 200 different kinds of aircraft including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders. In 1962 he became an astronaut, and served as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission in 1966.

Apollo 11 

Armstrong was the commander of the Apollo 11 mission, and the first person to set foot on the moon. He flew the lunar lander from lunar orbit to the moon, and was down to about 15 seconds of fuel, after dodging boulders on the moon, when he landed the Eagle.

After the mission

Armstrong worked as deputy associate administrator for aeronautics at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. He went on to serve as professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati from 1971 to 1979, and as chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc., in Charlottesville, Virginia. Over the years he was decorated by 17 countries. He died in 2012 at the age of 82.

Long Island Connection 

Armstrong visited Long Island in 1968 to do some testing on the Lunar Excursion Module that was made by Grumman and would land him on the moon. On Sept. 17, 1969, he and fellow crew member Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin returned to Bethpage to thank the Grumman workers. He later served for more than a decade as chairman of the board of Deer Park-based AIL Systems Inc., a defense electronics firm, and made regular trips here.

In his own words

“I am, and ever will be, a white socks, pocket protector, nerdy engineer. And I take a substantial amount of pride in the accomplishments of my profession.” (AP, 2012)

"Looking back, we were really very privileged to live in that thin slice of history where we changed how man looks at himself and what he might become and where he might go." (AP, 2009)

“The sights were simply magnificent, beyond any visual experience that I had ever been exposed to.” (AP, 2012)

How others remember him

“Neil Armstrong was just the kind of person you would hope he would be, which was a pleasant, easy to talk to, knowledgeable, friendly” person, said Gary Morse, a Grumman technician who met Armstrong in 1968. 

“I think his genius was in his reclusiveness,” historian Douglas Brinkley. “He was the ultimate hero in an era of corruptible men.” (AP, 2012)

Armstrong was “the most honest and ethical man I ever met,” said James Smith, a former chief executive at Deer Park-based AIL Systems Inc. (Newsday, 2012)

Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin

Aldrin was always the most publicly outgoing of the three Apollo 11 astronauts, signing copies of books he wrote, and at one point plugging everything from radios to designer handbags. One book, “Magnificent Desolation” — his description of the moonscape — focused on his post-lunar life, including his battle with depression and alcoholism. Some Grumman workers recall him as focused on the task and not as approachable as Armstrong. He was the only Apollo 11 astronaut with a doctorate. 

Background

Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Aldrin graduated from West Point. He flew 66 combat missions for the Air Force during the Korean War. He later earned a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He became an astronaut in 1963. During Gemini 12 in 1966 he set a record at that time for spacewalks that lasted more than five hours. A math wiz, he was considered one of the brightest astronauts. He was the first astronaut to hold a doctoral degree.

Apollo 11 

As lunar module pilot, Aldrin called out altitude, fuel level and other readings while Armstrong landed the LM-5 manually. The second person to walk on the moon, he also set up scientific experiments on the lunar surface, including a laser reflector and a solar array. He collected soil samples as well. He and Armstrong spent about 20 hours on the moon.

After the mission 

Aldrin resigned from NASA in 1971, and returned to the Air Force. He wrote several books including “Return to Earth,” recounting the Apollo 11 mission, and “Men From Earth,” which discussed the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. He founded a rocket design company, and lectured often on the space program and its future.

Long Island connection

Visited Grumman at Bethpage in 1968 to test the lunar module that landed him and Armstrong on the moon. On Sept. 17, 1969, he and Armstrong returned to Bethpage to thank the Grumman workers.

In his own words 

"As time has passed, I've come to understand that the true value of Apollo wasn't the rocks, wasn't the data that we brought back. It was the worldwide sense of participation, of people everywhere recalling where they were at that moment, and how they shared in a human adventure that brought out the best in all of us." (AP, 1999)

On the landing, he said, “We feel that this stands as a symbol of the insatiable curiosity of all mankind to explore the unknown.” (Newsday, 1969)

“I marvel at how great, good fortune just happened to come my way. There are always doors opening.” (The Los Angeles Times, 2001)

How others remember him

Aldrin was “very goal-oriented, highly technical,” astronaut Gene Cernan said. “There isn’t a human being in the world who wouldn’t have wanted to be the second man on the moon, but for Buzz, it was almost like being a failure.” (Newsday, 1989)

Aldrin was “without question a brilliant man,” but was “so focused on what he was doing that he hardly paid attention to what was peripheral to him,” said former Grumman technician Gary Morse.

Aldrin is “a brilliant engineer and a crackerjack pilot, but a totally gray personality,” a NASA technician said. (Newsday, 1969)

Michael Collins

Sometimes called “the forgotten astronaut,” Collins was the only person on the Apollo 11 mission not to walk on the moon. Similar to Armstrong, he is recalled by many as avoiding the limelight, with a modest “I just did my job” attitude about the historic mission.

Background 

Collins was born in 1930 in Rome, Italy, where his father was serving as U.S. military attache, and graduated from West Point. He worked as a test pilot on fighter jets at Edwards Air Force Base in California. He became an astronaut in 1963, served as a backup pilot for the Gemini 7 mission and pilot on Gemini 10 in 1966, becoming the nation’s third spacewalker.

Apollo 11 

Command module pilot, remained in lunar orbit as Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the moon. He was in orbit for a full day before the rendezvous.

After the mission 

He left NASA in January 1970 and became assistant secretary of state for public affairs during the Nixon administration. In April 1971 he became director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and remained in the post for seven years. Later, he was an executive with an aerospace company before forming his own. He wrote several books including “Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut’s Journeys."

In his own words

“I’d be a liar or a fool if I said I had the best seat on Apollo 11. However, I can say with absolute truth … that I’m happy with the seat that I had. I’m proud to have been part of Apollo 11.” (NASA, 2009)

“Our home was the main show, never mind the moon. Somehow it projected an aura of fragility that I did not expect, that was totally strange, but the more I thought of it on the way back from the moon, the more I realized how fragile it is.” (Houston Chronicle, 2019)

“Heroes abound and should be revered as such, but don’t count astronauts among them. We work very hard, we did our jobs near perfection, but that was what we had (been) hired on to do.” (NASA, 2009)

How others remember him

Apollo 11 teammate Buzz Aldrin called Collins “a great guy, a hard worker and a real team player with a quick sense of humor.” (Alamogordo Daily News, New Mexico, 2009)

Astronaut Frank Borman praised Collins for his “selfless” attitude, because Collins “didn’t receive as much public attention as two moon-walkers did, but (he) never complained, even privately.” (Alamogordo Daily News, New Mexico, 2009)