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
Neil Armstrong to a charity of Armstrong's choosing. Sizemore, unable to retrieve the hair, donated the proceeds to charity. Armstrong underwent bypass surgery on August 7, 2012 to relieve blocked coronary arteries. Although he was reportedly recovering well, he developed complications in the hospital and died on August 25, in Cincinnati, Ohio, aged 82. The White House released a statement describing Armstrong as "among the greatest of American heroes—not just of his time, but of all time". It went on to say that Armstrong had carried the aspirations of the United States' citizens and had delivered "a moment of human achievement that