Neil Armstrong was a naval
aviator and a test pilot when he was chosen to be a member of the
astronaut corps. His first space flight occurred in 1966 aboard Gemini
8. During this flight, he and fellow astronaut David Scott successfully
performed the first docking in space between two vehicles.
Neil was subsequently appointed commander of Apollo 11, America's first attempt to land a
manned vehicle on the Moon. On July 20, 1969 Commander Armstrong and fellow
astronaut Edwin Aldrin explored the Moon's surface for 2.5 hours.
He was the first person to step on the Moon's
surface. His unforgettable phrase, "That's one small step for man; one giant
leap for mankind" has been etched in the minds of the millions who viewed
the landmark event in space history.
Neil has received many
honors and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the
Congressional Space Medal The lunar crater 31
miles from the Apollo 11 landing site and asteroid 6469 are
named in his honor. Armstrong was also inducted into the Aerospace Walk of
Honor and the Astronaut Hall of Fame. There are more than a dozen
elementary, middle, and high schools in the United States named in his
honor.
The only possible way to celebrate Neil Armstrong's birthday is to rent a
copy of
the film Moonshot
(2009), the
Emmy-nominated docudrama that blendis convincing reenactments with original
NASA footage from of
the Apollo 11 mission and features
Daniel Lapaine as
Neil Armstrong. While watching the film, be sure to have a Moon
Pie and and RC - a traditional treat in the South for more than a half a
century/
The Moon Pie was invented In 1917 by Earl Mitchell, Sr. at the
Chattanooga Bakery in Tennessee as a snack for the local coal miners.
According to his son, Earl Mitchell, Jr., his father once
asked some miners what they wanted for a snack. They asked for
something that they could fit in their something for their lunch
pails. It had to be solid and filling. “About how big?” Mr. Mitchell asked.
While they were talking snacks, the moon was rising, One of the miners
held out his hands, framing the moon and said, “About that big!”
The miners loved Mitchell's new chocolate
cookies with marshmallow filling so much that the bakery began offering them
to their regular customers, By the late 1950's, their Moon Pies
had become so popular that the Chattanooga Bakery converted over to total
Moon Pie production.
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- Preheat over to 400°
F
- Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together 1/2 cup
butter or margarine and white sugar. Add egg,
evaporated milk and vanilla.
Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, cocoa powder,
baking
soda and baking powder. Add flour mixture slowly to sugar mixture while
stirring.
Mix just until all ingredients are combined.
- Drop the dough onto the greased cookie sheet
by rounded tablespoonfuls. Leave at least
3 inchesbetween each one.
- Baker 6 to 8 minutes, until firm when
pressed with finger. Allow to cool at least one hour before filling.
- In a medium mixing bowl, blend together ½
cup butter or margarine, confectioners’ sugar, flavored
extract and
marshmallow crème. Mix until smooth.
- Assemble pies by spreading 2 TB of
filling on the flat side of the cookie, then covering filling with t
he flat
side of another cookie.
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