Neil Armstrong, Houston astronaut parade, August 1969. Footage of NASA astronaut Neil Alden Armstrong (1930-2012) and his family being driven by car at the Houston astronaut parade of 16 August 1969 in Houston, Texas, USA. Armstrong was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1962. At the time of this footage, he had flown in space on the Gemini 8 (1966) and Apollo 11 (July 1969) missions. Also in the car are his wife Janet and their children Eric and Mark. This parade was held to honour the Apollo 11 astronauts. The Apollo 11 crew had achieved the first landing by humans on the Moon on 20 July 1969, with Armstrong becoming the first person to walk on the surface of the Moon. Houston is the home of NASA's mission control, the Manned Spacecraft Centre (MSC), and this was among the first parades held in their honour. It featured other astronauts and numerous marching groups, with around 300, 000 people lining the streets. A ticker tape parade was held along the downtown Houston section of the route. |