 Neil Alden Armstrong ( August 5 , 1930 – August 25 , 2012 ) was an American astronaut and the first person to walk on the Moon . He was also an aerospace engineer , naval aviator , test pilot , and university professor . Before becoming an astronaut , Armstrong was an officer in the U.S. Navy and served in the Korean War , where he was a member of the United States Naval Aviator Corps .
Armstrong's first spaceflight was the X-15 Flight 90 , launched on August 7, 1962 , which included a supersonic speed record of 4,000