Project Mercury also excluded civilian NASA X-15 pilot Neil Armstrong, though he had been selected by the US Air Force in 1958 for its Man In Space Soonest program, which was replaced by Mercury. Although Armstrong had been a combat-experienced NAP during the Korean War, he left active duty in 1952. Armstrong became NASA's first civilian astronaut in 1962 when he was selected for NASA's second group, and became the first man on the Moon in 1969. It was further stipulated that candidates should be between 25 and 40 years old, no taller than , and hold a college degree in a
Tom Neil Tom Neil Thomas Francis "Ginger" Neil, (14 July 1920 – 11 July 2018) was a British wing commander in the Royal Air Force fighter pilot and ace of the Second World War during the Battle of Britain. Neil scored a total of 14 kills during the Second World War. Neil was born in Bootle on 14 July 1920; he had a keen interest in aircraft as a child and also played cricket and football for local teams. His family moved to Manchester when he was 16, and he attended Eccles Secondary (grammar) School where he was awarded an art prize