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Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon, is modest about his place in history.
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When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon in July 1969, he became an immediate icon. Who remembers Buzz Aldrin or Mike Collins, the other Apollo 11 astronauts?
And yet Armstrong was the least likely to seek out celebrity or to embrace it. He was as famous for his reserve as he was for taking that one small step -- any potential biographer faced a formidable challenge simply getting through to Armstrong.
James Hansen had a major advantage. A former NASA historian and a current professor of history at Auburn University, Hansen had written eight previous books on aerospace engineering, the history of space flight and studies on technology and civilization.
"I worked as a contract historian for NASA in the early '80s," explains Hansen, "And of course I wanted to write about Neil. But at first that seemed as likely as my going to the moon. I knew that if someone wanted to write his life story without emphasizing engineering, it wouldn't interest him. I sent him a carton of my books, and after a lot of e-mails and letters, he gave me permission to go ahead."
First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong is the result of nearly four years of research that included over 50 hours of interviews with Armstrong. After years of silence, the barriers appeared to evaporate as Armstrong began the interviews. For decades, he had been surrounded by a fiercely loyal and protective band of family and friends.
"If you're a friend of Neil Armstrong's and you tell stories about him, you won't be his friend for long," Hansen says. "Neil wrote a letter that I was able to send to contacts and a lot of people spoke out for the first time."
Hansen amassed an impressive amount of documentation from Armstrong's sister, his ex-wife, former flight squadron members, NASA officials and members of the University of Cincinnati faculty and administration. But it was Armstrong's expansiveness that proved to be most gratifying for Hansen.
"I interviewed him for 20 hours before I even got to the moon walk. No one else had access to the information that I had."
And, indeed, the now-legendary event during the turbulent summer of '69 almost seems less dramatic than Armstrong's record as a member of Flight Squadron 51 during the Korean War or his one and only flight with Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager.
First Man details Armstrong's childhood growing up in rural Ohio, the eldest son of a devout Christian mother and an emotionally distant father. His first marriage lasted over 30 years, ended by Armstrong's wife who cited 'irreconcilable differences."
Hansen is quick to point out that NASA never provided support services for astronauts or their families. In 1962, the Armstrong's 2-year-old daughter Karen died from a brain tumor and, according to Hansen, the tragedy had a huge impact. He decided to become an astronaut only months after her death. Hansen adds that it is no coincidence that Armstrong goes out of his way to connect with young children.
The author portrays Armstrong as the "white socks, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer" but with far more insight than most engineering students can expect.
Armstrong's most remarkable quality is his ability to be extraordinary while at the same time being down to earth. He was, by most accounts, an exceptional teacher during the early years of UC's aeronautical engineering department. He served on numerous civic boards, including the Museum of Natural History, providing support that was never recognized -- at his insistence.
"How do you explain human personality?" asks Hansen. "He's modest about his accomplishments and takes the blame for his failures, including those as a husband and a father."
According to Hansen, Armstrong's second marriage is a happy one, and he is close with his sons, both of whom live in Cincinnati. And few people around here seem to notice that he lives in Indian Hill.
"I was with him in Graeter's, " recalls Hansen, "And he was just like any other senior citizen getting ice cream."
JAMES HANSEN signs and discusses First Man at 7 p.m. Friday at Joseph-Beth Booksellers.
