Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight

Book excerpt: Everything written about Armstong's life and flights has been from the outside looking in; Jay Barbree is the only person whom Neil Armstrong trusted to share close personal details about his inspiring life story. Working from his years of notes, and with the Armstrong family, Jay Barbree has written the definitive biography of America's most famous astronaut and one of our greatest modern heroes. Armstrong has entrusted Barbree with details of his personal life, including his two marriages and the death of his baby daughter. And, of course, there is the inside story of an extraordinary career, from the time Armstrong flew combat missions in the Korean War and then flew a rocket plane called the X-15 to the edge of space, to when he saved his Gemini 8 by flying the first emergency return from Earth orbit and then flew Apollo-Eleven to the moon's Sea of Tranquillity. Full of never-before-seen photos, this book includes many personal details such as what Armstrong really felt when he took that first step on the moon, and what he felt the future of space exploration should be.