Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) was meant to soar. As a teenager, the man destined to be the first human to walk on the Moon flew solo before he had a driver’s license. His love of flight continued. During the Korean War he flew more than 75 missions, and he later excelled as a test pilot, flying more than 200 different models of aircraft. And then he became an astronaut. Over the decades, much has been written about this mythic man, but few journalists were able to penetrate the well-known reticence of the veteran astronaut. This is the inside story of Neil Armstrong from the time he 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 VIII by flying the first emergency return from Earth orbit and then flew Apollo-11 to the moon’s Sea of Tranquility. The book is full of never-before-seen photos and personal details written down for the first time, including what Armstrong really felt when he took that first step on the moon, what life in NASA was like, his relationships with the other astronauts, and what he felt the future of space exploration should be. A fascinating look at a mysterious man who rarely gave interviews or talked to the press. Published at $27.95, our price only $16.95.

NEIL ARMSTRONG: A Life of Flight By Jay Barbree  384 pages. 6x9 Hardback. Illustrated. Bibliography. Index.