Armstrong and his fellow Apollo 11 astronauts, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, were embraced as national heroes after their historic moon landing, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Richard Nixon. But Armstrong has tried to lead a quiet life since then.

He retired from space flight after his trip to the moon. He spent a year as a senior NASA administrator, then taught aerospace engineering until 1979.

For many years he refused to appear in advertisements, and when he became a spokesman for Chrysler in 1979 it was reportedly because he admired their engineering division.

Since then, Armstrong has worked largely in the private sector, serving on the board of Marathon Oil, Learjet and United Airlines, among others.

Numerous American elementary schools are named for the astronaut, and the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum opened in Wapokeneta in 1972.

Armstrong, who has been married twice, has two grown children and now lives on a farm in Lebanon, Ohio.