This commemorative plate was owned by Neil A. Armstrong. The plate is from Mobile Launcher #1, a structure built in 1967 to support the massive Saturn V rockets of Apollo 4, 8, and 11. The Mobile Launcher allowed for vertical assembly and transport of the rockets, and also included a Launch Umbilical Tower with nine swing arms, a "hammerhead" crane, and a water suppression system. Olin E. Teague, whose name appears on this plaque, was a Democratic Congressman from Texas who served 1946-1978, and was a member of the Science and Astronautics Committee. He became Chairman of that committee in 1973 and had previously chaired the Human Space Flight Subcommittee
As Commander of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong, became the first person to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Prior to joining NASA, Armstrong served as a naval aviator during the Korean War, flying 78 combat missions. After graduating with a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University in 1955, Armstrong became a test pilot for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, the forerunner to NASA) and flew over 200 different models of aircraft, including the X-15. Armstrong was selected for NASA’s astronaut corps in 1962 as part of the second class selection, and first flew in space as commander of Gemini VIII in 1966.
Shortly after his historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969, Armstrong earned an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California, and when he left NASA in 1971, he taught at the University of Cincinnati for eight years. In 1986, he was appointed by President Reagan as the Vice-Chairman of the Rogers Commission investigating the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In his later life, he served on several corporate boards and high-level advisory committees.
Carol Armstrong and the Armstrong family loaned the plate to the Museum in 2014.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.