Stylised illustration of Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander. US astronaut Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) was the first person to walk on the Moon. He was a military pilot and test pilot, joining NASA's Astronaut Corps in 1962. He was part of the Gemini program, and then selected for the Apollo program. Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 mission, walking on the lunar surface with Buzz Aldrin on 21 July 1969.