Chapter 289 - Having Drinks (2/2)

The man looked to be quite young, in his twenties, perhaps. But unlike most youth of this age, he had an inherent brooding quality about him, as if he was always pondering about something. At the same time, his subtle but decisive movements bore the temperament of a seasoned soldier.

That last part was not unusual – many test pilots in the laboratory came from a military background.

When he saw Zhang Heng approaching, he politely got up from his seat.

“How do you do, sir? I’m David, lab intern. You must be the new test pilot. Jane asked me to show you around the place you’ll be working.”

“Thank you,” the man said, offering a hand. “Neil Armstrong, retired navy pilot.”

His voice was deep and firm.

Zhang Heng stopped in his tracks as he held Neil’s hand, freezing for a brief second. “What’s the matter?”

“Oh, nothing! Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Armstrong,” Zhang Heng blurted quickly.

“The pleasure is mine.”

“If you don’t mind, I have to get these documents to Professor Maggie before we start the tour.”

Armstrong nodded.

Zhang Heng did not expect to meet Neil Armstrong – the first man to land on the moon. Not now, in 1955, at least. In retrospect, Armstrong had indeed worked for NASA as a test pilot for a certain period. At that time, the legendary astronaut looked youthful, and according to Zhang Heng’s calculations, Armstrong should be only about twenty-five. After completing his Navy service, he had returned to finish his university education. He hadn’t yet obtained a master’s degree in aviation engineering. Later in his life, upon making history on a successful moon mission, he kept a low profile, living a quiet life teaching at a university. He almost never accepted interviews, nor did he write a single biography. In fact, few knew that Armstrong never took a picture of himself on the moon. The widely circulated moon landing photo was actually taken by his crewmate, Buzz Aldrin. Armstrong’s shadow could barely be seen from the reflection of Aldrin’s helmet. The other famous photo, the footprint on the moon’s surface, was also the courtesy of Aldrin.

Unlike his rather rambunctious crewmate, Armstrong was a humble and unostentatious man; only the few who corresponded with him knew what he had to through when he was a young man.

But Zhang Heng was more interested in Armstrong’s piloting skills, a prodigy who obtained his pilot license when he was merely sixteen years of age. Before getting his driver’s license, or even joining NASA, he had already piloted more than 200 different aircraft types. This was one of the main reasons he was chosen to be an astronaut. Zhang Heng was unsure about on thing, though. Would their meeting in 1955 affect the quest fourteen years later?

After delivering the documents to Professor Maggie, Zhang Heng hurriedly went back to Armstrong. “So, did you arrive in Cleveland?”.

“Yeah. I submitted an application to the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, but since they are full, I was assigned here for now,” Armstrong answered. “If that’s the case, we should get drinks after the tour.”