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
Erika Armstrong & Pilot, Flying.com, Disciples of Flight, Mentor, Contrails, Business Insider and NYC Aviation. Consistent 325,000 aviation geek/enthusiast followers from around the globe. Erika Armstrong Erika Armstrong (née Hagen; born July 9, 1968) is a commercial airline pilot, published author, editor, aviation journalist and professor of aviation science. Armstrong is the author of the bestselling book "A Chick in the Cockpit: My Life Up in the Air", which was published by Behler Publications in 2016. Armstrong was born in Seattle, Washington, and given up for adoption to Geraldine and Charles Hagen. At age five, she moved with her family to Edina,