August 26, 2012
by HNN Staff
Armstrong cut his teeth flying jets for the Navy before joining NASA, seeing action over Korea in 1951 and 1952. He was assigned to VF-51 onboard the USS Essex, where he flew the F9F-2 Panther. Pictured: F9F-2 Panthers taking off from the Essex sometime in 1951. Credit: U.S. Navy.After leaving the Navy, Armstrong became a test pilot for NASA's X-15 program, a high-speed, high-altitude rocket plane. He flew a total of seven flights, reaching an altitude of nearly 63 km and a speed of well over 6,000 km/h. Here, he poses with his aircraft on New Year's Day, 1960.Astronauts during tropical survival training at Albrook Air Force Base in Panama, 1963. Left to right: Unidentified trainer, Armstrong, John Glenn, Gordon Cooper, and Charles "Pete" Conrad.