http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=1966-020A
I actually cried when my hero died.
If memory serves, Armstrong had another brush a couple months before the Apollo 11 flight. He was piloting a jet-powered LEM simulator when it malfunctioned and he had to jettison before it crashed. I think he had an incident in one of the X-15s, too.
He was cool and courageous under pressure, my childhood hero. ‘Really saddened at his passing.
We should remember Armstrong's performance on Gemini 8. That was a serious, serious malfunction and very well could have resulted in our first fatalities in the space program. Armstrong knew exactly what to do. He saved himself, his crew mate, and his ship, and perhaps the whole Gemini program by managing the problem and bringing his spacecraft back safely. When it came to piloting, the guy was as cool as they come, ice water in his veins.
We should also remember his honorable service as a naval aviator who flew combat missions in Korea, and later as a test pilot for the Navy and NASA.
Neil and his first wife, Janet, had the tragedy of losing their young daughter, Karen, at age 2, who died of a brain tumor. I cannot imagine bearing such grief and still continuing on, but I guess it's what you have to do.