JOURNEY INTO SPACE

Neil Armstrong (b. 1930) decided he would fly well before there was any notion that men would one day be sent into space. He got his pilot's license at 16; he was a naval air pilot during the Korean War; and he began test-piloting planes for NASA in 1955. Armstrong went into space in 1966 and behaved skillfully and bravely when there were complications, so when NASA needed to man the first human flight to the moon, it chose Armstrong to be commander. In 1969, Apollo 11 took off. When Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module, the Eagle, he uttered his famous statement: ``That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.'' The mission was a success. Langley (Passport to Great Britian, not reviewed, etc.) offers a dry but competent account. The ``Did you know?'' inserts are succinct and informative, but Pang's illustrations are barely serviceable. Why didn't the author just use photos? (Glossary; index) (Biography/Picture book. 9+)