BAKU, April 12 – Sputnik, Maria Sheludyakova. Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov during a press conference dedicated to international festival STARMUS, spoke about his acquaintance with the English physicist Stephen Hawking and the American astronaut Neil Armstrong.

Once a year, STARMUS brings together legendary scientists, cosmonauts, astronauts, musicians to discuss global problems and inspire guests. In 2017, the festival will be held from June 18 to 23 in Trondheim, Norway. There will be an emphasis on medicine, biology, neuroscience, and discussions will also include cybersecurity, economic and political crises, and sociology.

"We managed to invite to the first festival famous people: Neil Armstrong, William Anders, Stephen Hawking. This man suffers from an illness, but he is so strengthened by willpower - it’s hard to even imagine. His mind works like a computer! Today, all healthy astrophysicists and astrochemists recognize his primacy. This is an amazing personality,” Leonov emphasized.

The astronaut called Hawking a special person who attracts the attention of a huge audience, and told the story of how he once embarrassed the famous physicist.

"We discussed the theory big bang, and I say: “There was an explosion, but explain to me what exploded? He couldn’t figure out how to answer,” the astronaut laughed.

“Once I made a pencil sketch of a portrait,” Leonov continued. “Hawking looked exhausted and very serious, but when I showed him this drawing, he began to smile! God, how little a person needs - a little attention. Every time at the festival he has very interesting messages. I think that, despite his serious illness, he will fly to Norway."

Neil Armstrong is also an extraordinary person, Leonov continued. According to him, the famous American astronaut, who was the first to set foot on the surface of the Moon, never gave autographs - he is a man of amazing modesty and the highest literacy.

“When Neil retired, he wanted to fly on American T-25 aircraft. There is such an aircraft in Germany, in Salzburg. He came to this city with the dream of flying on this aircraft. He agreed with the government. And then they organized a meeting - a lot came people,” Leonov shared his memories.

The Russian cosmonaut was also invited to this meeting, which took place on the birthday of his American friend, but Armstrong was not told about Leonov’s invitation - they wanted to make a surprise.

“They ask him a question: “Do you know that the USSR also had a Lunar program, the Russians were also preparing for landing.” To which he replied: “Oh, I know! There is such a comrade there, a Soviet cosmonaut, crew commander. I was even afraid that he would land on the surface of the Moon earlier." Indeed, we were ahead and could fly around the Moon earlier than the Americans. We had everything - six unmanned ships, pilots. We were fully trained, waited, and only the leadership - why - it “vibrated,” Leonov continued his story.

According to him, Armstrong began to praise Leonov, and he came up at that moment with glasses and a bottle of Russian vodka.

“I pat him on the shoulder and say: “That’s enough.” It was so unexpected! He started crying. Neil Armstrong started crying! I said: “Let’s drink vodka together for the health of this amazing man.” So we congratulated him on his birthday,” said the astronaut.

STARMUS is a festival that combines astronomy with various sciences, art and music. This year, ten laureates will take part in the festival. Nobel Prize, popularizer of science, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, film director Oliver Stone, musicians Brian May and Peter Gabriel, head of Kaspersky Lab Evgeny Kaspersky.

Legendary man Neil Alden Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, USA, on August 5, 1930. From his parents, Neil inherited character traits such as modesty and determination, as well as an explosive mixture of German, Scottish and Irish blood.

Many years later, in 1972, the astronaut visited the land of his ancestors, in the city of Langholm, in Scotland, where he was officially awarded the title of honorary citizen, as an outstanding descendant of the Armstrong clan.

The future space conqueror had younger brothers and sisters: Dean and June. While Neil was a child, the family moved frequently because his father served as an auditor for the US government. Before settling in Ohio in 1944, the Armstrongs lived in 20 cities. Neil graduated from Wapakoneta high school.

The boy's main hobbies were airplanes and membership in the Boy Scouts club. In both directions, the student achieved significant success: within the framework of the Boy Scout movement, the boy received the highest rank of Eagle Scout, and a pilot's license from the city aviation school - previously a driver's license. Thus, the future astronaut became a professional pilot at the age of 16, and from that moment his biography was inextricably linked with the sky.

In 1947, the young man entered Purdue University, where he studied aeronautical engineering and industry. The guy's grades were average, and his college education was paid for by the state in exchange for an obligation to serve three years in the army. After the army, Armstrong returned to university, where he studied for another two years.

Neil Armstrong's military conscription coincided with the Korean War. Neal's first jet flight occurred in 1949, and he flew as many as 78 missions during the war effort from 1949 to 1952. At that time, Neil was a fighter-bomber pilot and was shot down by enemy forces in one of the operations.

For his military services, Armstrong was awarded three honorary awards. In 1952, Neal joined the US Navy as a test pilot.

NASA

Neil Armstrong's path from pilot to astronaut, who became a hero of all mankind, was long and included the following stages:

• in 1956, Armstrong transferred to the NASA High Speed ​​Flight Research Station, where he tested the latest aircraft;
• From June to August 1958, he tested as an astronaut under the Air Force's MISS program;
• from October 1958, Armstrong was part of a group of pilots making experimental flights on the X-15 rocket plane; from 1960 to 1962, he made only 7 flights, but never reached the border with space;
• in 1960, Neil Armstrong was included in the second group of astronauts selected by NASA from 250 candidates.

In 1966, as commander of Gemini 8, Neil Armstrong traveled to space for the first time. Due to malfunctions, most of the flight goals were never achieved, but the astronauts completed the main task, which was docking with the Agena rocket.

Flight and landing on the Moon

On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 launched from the Cape Canaveral launch site under the command of Armstrong. Along with the commander on board the starship were Michael Collins, pilot of the Columbia module, and Edwin Aldrin, also known as Buzz Aldrin, pilot of the Eagle module.

After one hundred and three hours of flight in orbit of the Moon, the landing module with Aldrin and Armstrong on board was disconnected, which soon successfully landed on the Moon in the Sea of ​​Tranquility. Before landing on the surface, an emergency situation occurred: the pressure building in the ship’s fuel line almost led to an explosion. After troubleshooting, the astronauts opened the hatch.

Neil Armstrong was the first to leave the spaceship, and his colleague was filming this historical moment. At the same time, the captain of Apollo 11 said famous phrase, sounded live in connection with the Earth:

"This is one small step for man, but a giant leap for all mankind.”

The astronauts spent 2.5 hours on the surface of the satellite, collecting soil samples, leaving a capsule with messages in 74 earthly languages ​​and planting the US flag. They took many historical photos and videos, documenting the fact of man's presence on the Moon.

Subsequently, when listening to and transcribing the recordings made by the astronauts, researchers and scientists have repeatedly asked the question, what exactly did Neil Armstrong say when his foot touched the lunar soil? Besides everything famous phrase the words “Good luck, Mr. Gorski!” could be heard on the tape.

Armstrong was repeatedly asked about this mysterious man in numerous interviews, but he only remained silent. And only many years later, the astronaut said that the mysterious Gorski was his neighbor when Neil himself was still a boy. Running to the neighbor's property to get the ball, he accidentally overheard the Gorski couple talking in an intimate moment. Madame Gorski refused one frank request from her husband, saying that she would satisfy it “when the neighbor’s boy is running on the moon.” In the end, her words turned out to be prophetic.

The Apollo 11 crew landed safely on July 24, 1969, although the departure from the Moon was not without some unpleasant incidents. Returning to the lander, the astronauts discovered that the engine start button was damaged. The situation was critical, since help from Earth obviously would not have arrived in time for the Moon within the three days available to the crew. Miraculously, the engine was able to start, and the first manned flight to the Moon ended in complete triumph.

Visit to the USSR

In May 1970, Armstrong visited Leningrad as part of a NASA delegation. The famous astronaut’s visit to the USSR did not end there. After the Leningrad conference, NASA representatives went to Moscow.

According to Armstrong’s recollections, the meeting with the Muscovites went much warmer, but most of all he remembered his acquaintance with the widows of Soviet cosmonauts: the spouses of Vladimir Komarov. During an official meeting with representatives of the country's leadership, Neil Armstrong presented the Chairman of the Council of Ministers with samples of lunar soil and a miniature flag of the USSR that had been on the Moon.

Lunar landing: myth or reality?

Both during Armstrong’s life and after his death, there were many legends about him and the legendary flight to the moon. So, for some time there was a theory that after what he saw on the satellite, the astronaut converted to Islam and became a Muslim. This legend has no basis, except for the similarity of geographical names - Lebanon in the USA and the Muslim country of the same name.

Heated debate surrounded numerous statements by journalists and “researchers” that Neil Armstrong did not go to the moon. Several books and numerous articles have been published, and several films have been made, debunking the myth of the presence of American astronauts on the Moon. One of the versions said that the documentary filming of the flight was faked by the famous, and all the footage was filmed in the pavilion.

As a result, these publications turned out to be falsifications, and the books and films turned out to be fiction. Even Soviet cosmonauts confirmed the presence of the Apollo team on the Moon, noting that some shots could well have been taken on Earth - for “clarification.”

Personal life

The astronaut’s personal life developed quite smoothly. Despite regular training and flying, Neil Armstrong was married twice. Neil met his first wife, Janet Sharon, after returning to university, and their wedding took place in 1956. At the same time, Janet was forced to leave her studies and take up housekeeping, which she later regretted.

The couple had three children: sons Eric and Mark and daughter Karen, who died at the age of two from a brain tumor.

In 1994, Neil divorced Janet and married Carol Knight, with whom he lived until 2012.

Death

The cause of death of the famous astronaut, who retired from NASA in the 70s, taught at the university and was engaged in business, was postoperative complications.

According to US Navy tradition, the astronaut's ashes were scattered over the Atlantic Ocean during the funeral.

45 years ago, on July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon in the Sea of ​​Tranquility.

They were taken to the Moon by the Apollo 11 spacecraft.

American astronauts spent 21 hours, 36 minutes and 21 seconds on the Moon. It is known that Buzz Aldrin was a Freemason, read more.

Neil Armstrong, stepping on the moon, uttered words that the whole world knows:

"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for all mankind."

The success of Apollo 11 meant the victory of the United States over the USSR in the exploration of the Moon. But something went wrong. Let's figure it out.

UFO on the Moon

The Americans curtailed the lunar program not because they had no money. Apollo flights 18, 19 and 20 were already paid for.

They were forced to do this because they encountered unknown extraterrestrial forces on the surface of the Moon during the first flight to the Moon.

Alien ships flew alongside Apollo 11 during the American astronauts' mission to the Moon in 1969.

Neil Armstrong, the crew commander, constantly reported this to NASA control center. But what could they do?

Already on the Moon, Armstrong received an order not to go to the lunar surface, but he disobeyed and went to the Moon.

Because of this, he was subsequently removed from space flights and received a severe reprimand.

There is a unique audio recording in which Neil Armstrong speaks in clear words about UFO on the Moon. This recording, which was conducted over a secret, closed communication channel, was made public by ex-NASA President Christopher Craft.

The motives for his action are unclear, because Kraft was a high-ranking Mason, and they know how to keep secrets. But, be that as it may, the recording exists and it is genuine. You can easily find it on the Internet.

Here is an excerpt from the conversations between Neil Armstrong, captain of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, and NASA Mission Control. Recording made on July 21, 1969 on the Moon, in the Sea of ​​Tranquility.

NASA - Repeat your last message.

Armstrong - I'm saying there are other spaceships here. They stand in a straight line on the other side of the crater.

NASA - Repeat, repeat.

Armstrong - Let us probe this area. 125 to 5. Automatic relay connected. My hands are shaking so much that I can't do anything. Should I take it off? My God, if those damn cameras catch something, what then?

NASA - Can you film anything?

Armstrong - I don't have any more film on hand. Three shots from a saucer or whatever that thing is called ruined the film.

NASA - Regain control. Are they in front of you? Have you heard any noises from the UFO?

Armstrong - They landed here. They are here and they are watching us.

Initially, the expedition to the Moon was planned with one goal: to find alien UFO bases. The Americans hoped to find evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence on the Moon and, if they were lucky, to acquire new technologies there.

As a result of the flight to the Moon, the Americans were made to understand that they had nothing to do there. Extraterrestrial forces based on the Moon eventually drove the Americans away from the Moon.

The Russians also knew very well about UFO on the Moon. The testimony of Soviet cosmonauts eloquently testifies to this. If they wanted, the Russians could be the first to be on the moon.

But they prudently preferred to launch pieces of hardware on it - lunar rovers - rather than risk people.

"There are extraterrestrial forces that are stronger than we thought. I have no right to say anything more about it."

Wernher von Braun - head of the American lunar program

The Germans developed their science very powerfully. In fact, they created many of the things we use today, the patents were just snatched up by other countries after the war.

For example, former Nazi Wernher von Braun and his associates took the United States into space. If it weren’t for the Germans, who were taken to the United States after the war, it is unknown whether the United States would have flown to the moon or not.

When the Soviet satellite reached the Moon and the Americans first landed on the Moon, flashes appeared on the surface of the Moon and some craters disappeared. Perhaps these were alien bases disguised as “craters.”

The flares were recorded by space agencies of all countries who observed the Moon at that time. It's not fake. These are well-known facts that are not usually discussed.

Neil Alden Armstrong, American astronaut, the first man to walk on the moon, was born on August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio, USA. In 1947 he graduated from High School in Wapakoneta. While studying in high school, he trained at the WFS city aviation school.

In 1947 he entered Purdue University, where he began conducting research in the field of aeronautical engineering. In 1949, Neal had to interrupt his studies - he was drafted into the US Navy. In 1950, Neil Armstrong became a Navy pilot and was sent to Korea.

From 1950-1952, he served in the Korean War, in which he flew 78 combat missions in a Grumman F9F Panther fighter and was shot down once. Received the Air Medal and two medals Golden star" (Gold Star).

In 1952 he returned to Purdue University, from which he graduated in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering.

In 1955, Armstrong began working at the Aircraft Propulsion Laboratory. Lewis (Flight Propulsion Laboratory). A year later, in 1956, he went to work at NASA's High-Speed ​​Flight Station at Edwards AFB in California (currently Dryden Flight Research Center). Research Center). Took part in testing of prototype and experimental aircraft F-100A and F-100C, F-101, F-104A, X-1B, X-5, F-105, F-106, B-47, KC-135.

In June 1958, he was selected to train as an astronaut as part of the Air Force command's MISS (Man In Space Soonest) program. However, after all work on the first manned flight was awarded to NASA in August 1958, the program was curtailed.

In October 1958, he was included in a group of pilots who were preparing to fly the experimental X-15 rocket aircraft. Between November 30, 1960 and July 26, 1962, Armstrong completed a total of seven flights in the X-15. The highest altitude he was able to reach was 63,246 m, and this happened during his sixth flight on April 20, 1962.

In April 1960, Armstrong was included in a secret group of seven astronauts for the military X-20 Dyna-Soar program. He was involved in practicing X‑20 landing operations on specially equipped F‑102A and F5D simulator aircraft. However, in the summer of 1962, seeing the futility of this program and hoping to continue his career as an astronaut at NASA, he left the group of X-20 pilots.

In September 1962, he was enrolled in the second class of NASA astronauts, having passed a selection from 250 candidates. Trained for flights under the Gemini and Apollo programs.

On March 16-17, 1966, as commander of Gemini 8, Neil Armstrong made his first flight into space. Due to the flight abort, most of Gemini 8's planned missions remained unfulfilled, but the main goal - the first docking with an unmanned Agena rocket - was achieved. The flight duration was 10 hours 41 minutes 26 seconds.

On June 16, 1969, as commander of Apollo 11, he began his second history-making flight into space. On July 20, 1969 (July 21 at 3:56 a.m. CET), Neil Armstrong jumped from the final stage of the lunar lander in front of millions of television viewers watching the moon landing live. “That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind," he said. "This is a small step for a man, a big leap for mankind." Armstrong spent 2 hours and 21 minutes outside the spacecraft.

Returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. Flight duration was 8 days 3 hours 18 minutes 35 seconds.

From 1969 to 1971, after landing on the moon, Armstrong worked as deputy chief of aeronautics at NASA.

He received a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California in 1970. From August 1971 to 1979 he worked as a professor of mechanics at the University of Cincinnati.

In August 1974, Armstrong retired from NASA and went into private business. From 1980 to 1982, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cardwell International, Ltd. in Lebanon, Ohio. From 1982-1992, he was chairman of Computing Technologies for Aviation, Inc., in Charlottesville, Virginia. At the same time, from 1981 to 1999, Armstrong served on the board of directors of Eaton Corp.

In 1986, he became deputy chairman of the commission that investigated the causes of the Challenger shuttle disaster.

In 2000, Armstrong was elected chairman of the board of directors of EDO Corp, a major manufacturer of electronics and instruments for the aerospace and defense industries.
Since 2005, he has been a member of the NASA Advisory Council.

Armstrong's many awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. In 2009, Armstrong was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

August 25, 2012 Neil Armstrong. The cause of death was complications that arose in the coronary arteries of the heart.

The astronaut was married twice. Children (from first marriage): sons Eric and Mark, daughter Karen.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Astronaut: Neil Armstrong (08/05/1930 – 08/25/2012)

• 13th US astronaut (24th in the world)
• Flight duration: 10 hours 41 minutes (1966)
• Flight duration: 3 hours 18 minutes 35 seconds (1969)

The first man to set foot on the moon was born on August 5, 1930. small town Ohio State - Wapakoneta. While in school, as a senior, Neil trained at the local WFS flying school. In addition, the young guy, at the age of 14, worked as a courier at a city pharmaceutical plant. At the age of 17, Neil completed his secondary education, after which he went to study at Purdue University. In 1949, the young man was called up to serve in the US Air Force, which is why he temporarily interrupted his studies at the university. The following year, Neil Armstrong was sent to Korea, where he took part in combat operations as a pilot. He flew 78 combat missions, most of which in the F9F-2.

In 1952 he completed his service and returned to study at the university, from which he graduated in 1955. Received a bachelor's degree in aviation engineering. Shortly thereafter, Neil Armstrong accepted a position at the Lewis Propulsion Laboratory. A year later, the future astronaut transferred to NASA's High Speed ​​Flight Research Station, which was located at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Neil was a test pilot for various aircraft series.

Preparing for the first flight

In the summer of 1958, Neil was selected to train as an astronaut as part of the Man In Space Soonest program. However, in August of that year, the first manned flight switched from the Air Force to NASA, and the program was closed.

In the fall of 1958, Neil Armstrong was enrolled in a group of pilots who were preparing to fly an experimental hypersonic rocket plane, the X-15. In addition, since the spring of 1960, Neil became one of seven astronauts who formed a secret group as part of the X-20 Dyna-Soar military program. The goal of the program is to create a manned space rocket plane for reconnaissance and interception of enemy ships. From November 1960 to July 1962, Neil made seven flights on aircraft of this type. However, the former military pilot was disappointed in the program and left the project, which was canceled after a year and a half.

In September 1962, he was selected from two hundred and fifty candidates and enrolled in the second set of astronauts. Started preparing for space flights.

First flight

On March 16, 1966, the Gemini 8 spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral with two astronauts on board: commander Neil Armstrong and pilot David Scott. The main task of the flight was to dock with the target spacecraft - Agena VIII.

After entering orbit, astronauts Armstrong and Scott saw the target from a distance of about 140 km. Until the moment when there were 46 meters between the objects, the approach was carried out automatically, after which it was done manually. After successful docking, the Agena control system spontaneously executed the previously saved 90-degree turn command. As a result, the entire structure began to rotate with acceleration. After several unsuccessful attempts to stop the rotation using the Gemini engines, the astronauts decided to undock from the Agena. After undocking, it became clear that the problem was not only in the target, as the rotation speed increased and reached one revolution per second. The ship's panel showed a significant decrease in the fuel level (up to 30%) in the tank of the approximate engines, which means one of the engines was working and spinning the ship.

Despite the fact that the 3.5 g overload caused the crew to lose consciousness, Armstrong managed to turn off the attitude control engine and turn on another engine to stabilize the ship. The control center decided to terminate the flight ahead of schedule and the astronauts did not enter open space. "Gemini" splashed down safely in Pacific Ocean, three days later the astronauts were picked up by a warship. The attitude control valve was subsequently determined to be faulty. - This historical event, which is described in more detail in this article.

Later life

After completing his second flight, the world-famous astronaut remained an employee of NASA until 1971, and after that, from 1971 to 1979, he was a professor in the field of mechanics at the University of Cincinnati. After completion scientific activity, Neil Armstrong worked in several private companies in senior positions.

On August 25, due to complications following coronary artery bypass surgery (August 7), Neil Armstrong passed away. The ashes of the first man to set foot on the moon were buried at the bottom Atlantic Ocean September 14, 2012.