Armstrong was also one of the pilots in the X-20 Dynasoar program early on.
Can you point me to a reference for this? I've never seen any reference to this; Neil was a Navy pilot, the X-20 was an USAF program. He was a civilian with NASA for the X-15 program (before X-20) but I don't think this is correct.
Dave
It's in the book Dyna-Soar: Hypersonic Strategic Weapons System compiled by Robert Godwin for Apogee Books. I think he was a NASA civilian at the time. He did the pad escape tests using a Douglas F5D jet to simulate the ascent from a stricken booster and subsequent landing at the nearby Vandenberg runway. I don't think he was actually on the roster for an X-20 flight; I'd have to look it up in the book. There's an interview with him in the book where he describes the abort testing.
I was 11 when Neil climbed down the ladder, and I watched it live. I wonder if we'll get back to the moon (any country), before all of us who watched are dead.
By the time they launch an SLS we'll have 2xHD or something..
By the time the SLS is ready, I hope I will be still alive...
And an Apollo 3.0 reloaded, like the SLS is based on, will not bring much joy. It is just for making politicians happy for giving them victories, instead of getting the road to the moon paved and produce something that could not just put 12 people on the moon until money and interest expires, but at least 120 and more to follow.