Neil Armstrong Gallery

Aldrin Looks Back at Tranquility Base

Astronaut Edwin E."Buzz" Aldrin Jr. Lunar Module pilot, is photographed during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity on the Moon. He has just deployed the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package (EASEP). In the foreground is the Passive Seismic Experiment Package (PSEP); beyond it is the Laser Ranging Retro-Reflector (LR-3); in the center background is the United States flag; in the left background is the black and white lunar surface television camera; in the far right background is the Lunar Module "Eagle". Astronaut A. Armstrong, commander, took this photograph with a 70mm lunar surface camera

© NASA

Pilot Neil Armstrong and X-15 #1, 1960. Creator: NASA

Pilot Neil Armstrong and X-15 #1, 1960. Dryden pilot Neil Armstrong is seen here next to the X-15 ship #1 (56-6670) after a research flight. The X-15 was a rocket-powered aircraft 50 feet long with a wingspan of 22 feet. It was a missile-shaped vehicle with an unusual wedge-shaped vertical tail, thin stubby wings, and unique side fairings that extended along the side of the fuselage. The X-15 was flown over a period of nearly 10 years, from June 1959 to October 1968. It set the world's unofficial speed and altitude records. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo manned spaceflight programs, and also the Space Shuttle program. The X-15s made a total of 199 flights, and were manufactured by North American Aviation. X-15-1, serial number 56-6670, is now located at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC. North American X-15A- 2, serial number 56-6671, is at the United States Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. X-15-3, serial number 56-6672, crashed on November 15, 1967, resulting in the death of Major Michael J. Adams

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Gemini VIII splashdown, Armstrong and Scott with hatches open, March 16, 1966

Gemini VIII splashdown, Armstrong and Scott with hatches open, March 16, 1966. Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and David R. Scott sit with their spacecraft while awaiting the arrival of the recovery ship, the USS Leonard F. Mason after the successful, but early, completion of their Gemini VIII mission. Splashdown took place in the Pacific Ocean, 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of Okinawa and 1, 000 kilometers (620 miles) south of Yokosuka, Japan. The astronautes were assisted by USAF Pararescuemen Eldrige M. Neal, Larry D. Huyett, and Glenn M. Moore. The overhead view shows the spacecraft with the yellow flotation collar attached to stabilize it in choppy seas. The green marker dye is highly visible from the air and is used as a locating aid

© Heritage Space/Heritage Images