Neil A. Armstrong commanded the Gemini 8 mission and became the first human to walk on the moon as commander of Apollo 11.

He was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science degree from the University of Southern California.

Armstrong joined the Navy and flew as a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952. In 1955 he joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory and later transferred to the High Speed Flight Station at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as a civilian aeronautical test research pilot for NACA and NASA. Among the aircraft he tested was the X-15 rocket plane.

He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1962. On March 16, 1966, Armstrong and Dave Scott were launched in Gemini 8 to conduct the first linkup in space, docking with an Agena target satellite. The linkup was successful, but after a short time, the astronauts reported their craft was spinning out of control. They disengaged from the Agena, but the tumbling continued. One of 16 Gemini jet thrusters was stuck open and was spewing fuel into space, imparting the roll motion. Unable to stop the spinning with the main thrusters the astronauts activated a second set of 16 jets intended for use on reentry and after 30 minutes stabilized the spacecraft. Mission Control ordered Armstrong and Scott to cut the flight short and splashed down in a contingency recovery area in the western Pacific. Missed was a planned space walk by Scott.

On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Mike Collins departed for the moon. Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin landed their Lunar Module in the moon's Sea of Tranquility. Armstrong, and then Aldrin, stepped onto the surface and became the first humans to leave their footprints in the lunar dust. They explored the surface and gathered moon rocks for over two hours. The next day they fired off the surface and rejoined Collins in the orbiting mother ship.

Armstrong left NASA in 1971 and became a professor of aeronautical engineering at the University of Cincinnati, where he taught until 1981. He has since been in the business world and he currently is chairman of CTA, Inc.

Buzz Aldrin walked in space on Gemini 12 and explored the moon on Apollo 11, the first lunar landing mission.

He was born Jan. 20, 1930, in Montclair, N.J. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the U. S. Military Academy in 1951, graduating third in his class.

He entered the Air Force and earned his pilot wings in 1952. As an F86 fighter pilot in Korea he flew 66 combat missions and destroyed two MIG-15 aircraft. He later served as an aerial gunner instructor at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, as aide to the dean of faculty at the Air Force Academy and with an F100 squadron in Germany. He then attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he wrote his thesis on "Guidance for Manned Orbital Rendezvous." Following his Doctor of Science studies, Aldrin was assigned to the Gemini Target Office of the Air Force Systems Command in Los Angeles.

Aldrin was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1963. His concept of space rendezvous that he formulated at MIT was selected and modified for all NASA rendezvous missions. Included was Gemini 12, a four-day mission which Aldrin flew with James A. Lovell starting Nov. 11, 1966. They caught and linked up with an Agena satellite, and Aldrin made a then-record 5.5 hour space walk. Using handholds and foot restraints and resting frequently he was able to do all his tasks rather easily. Without restraints, all previous U.S. space walkers had experienced difficulty and had become exhausted while trying to position themselves in weightlessness.

On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins, and Aldrin departed for the moon. Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin landed their Lunar Module on the moon's Sea of Tranquillity. They stepped onto the surface and became the first humans to leave their footprints in the lunar dust. They explored and gathered moon rocks for about two hours. The next day they launched their LM ascent stage and rejoined Collins 60 miles above in the orbiting Command Module, once again using Aldrin's rendezvous techniques.

Aldrin returned to active Air Force duty in 1971 and was assigned to Edwards Air Force Base, California as commander of the Test Pilots School. He retired from the Air Force as a colonel in 1972 to enter business. He currently is president of Starcraft Enterprises of Laguna Beach, California and chairman of the Board of Governors of the National Space Society. He has authored two books about his experiences in space, "Return to Earth", and "Men From Earth", and the recently published science-fiction novel, "Encounter With Tiber".

Michael Collins walked in space on Gemini 10 and circled the moon as Apollo 11 Command Module pilot while America's first moonwalkers explored the lunar surface.

He was born in Rome, Italy, on Oct. 31, 1930. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the U. S. Military Academy in 1952 and attended an Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1974.

After West Point, Collins chose an Air Force career and served as an experimental flight test officer at the Air Force Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California. NASA selected Collins as an astronaut in 1963. As pilot of the three-day Gemini 10 mission, launched July 18, 1966, he and commander John Young docked with an Agena target satellite and used the Agena engine to maneuver near another Agena left in space by the Gemini 8 crew. Collins stepped outside and, using a jet gun he moved over to the second Agena and recovered a micrometeorite detection device attached to its side and returned it to earth for study. While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their historic first walk on the moon in July 1969, Collins flew a "lonely lifeguard" assignment for more than 24 hours, waiting for them to launch their lunar craft and rejoin him in moon orbit.

He retired from the Air Force as a major general and left NASA in 1970. He served briefly as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and then became the first director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air & Space Museum, serving from 1971 to 1978 and overseeing its construction and development. It was the first major government construction project in Washington completed on time and under budget in several years. He has written several books about space, including "Carrying the Fire", "Liftoff", and "Space Machine".