REPOST: Neil Armstrong: Freemason Or Not?

by Midnight Freemasons contributor

Todd E. Creason

I thought I'd repost this today.  It's with a heavy heart we mark the passing of a true American hero.  Neil Armstrong died today at the age of 82.  He made history on July 29, 1969.  He was literally, a man that went where no man had gone before . . .
  

Neil Armstrong's footprint on the moon


 

"Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand."

~Neil Armstrong

As the first man to ever set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong has become perhaps one of the most well-known NASA astronauts.  Long before he was an astronaut, he was a pilot during the Korean War and flew seventy-eight combat missions.

Neil Armstrong was an early pioneer of high speed flight and was a test project pilot for many types of air experimental crafts--he flew over two hundred different types of air crafts which made him an excellent candidate when NASA began searching for qualified astronauts.

He is often included on lists of famous Freemason, however, Neil Armstrong, Jr. is not a Freemason.  There's a little confusion with the name.  His father, Stephen Armstrong, was a very active member.

The eagle has landed . . .
The Scottish Rite Flag Buzz Aldrin took to the moon.

Not to say there weren't a lot Freemasons amongst NASA astronauts--members of the craft were well represented.  Freemason astronauts include Buzz Aldrin, Leroy Gordon Cooper, Donn Eisle, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, James Irwin, Edgar Mitchell, Walter Schirra, Thomas Stafford, and Paul Weitz.  

As a matter of fact, Buzz Aldrin took a personal item on the Apollo 11 mission--a hand embroidered flag of the Scottish Rite Southern jurisdiction.

~TEC

Freemasons In Space

The end of an era as Atlantis lifts off one last time

When the Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down on Thursday, it ended America's longest running spaceflight program.  "After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle's earned its place in history. And it's come to a final stop," radioed commander Christopher Ferguson as Atlanta rolled to a stop.  "Job well done, America," came the reply from Mission Control.



Atlantis lands for the last time



Oddly enough, the grand finale of the Space Shuttle program came to an end fifty years to the day that Astronaut Gus Grissom became the second American in space on July 21, 1961.  John Glenn had been there first, only a few months before.  Although Gus Grissom wasn't first, he would be the first American to make two trips into space.  John Glenn would eventually receive that honor, but it would take him a few years to get back into space--37 years to be exact.  He returned to space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery at the age of 77. 



Gus Grissom



But both men shared something besides being amongst America's first astronauts--they were both Freemasons.  John Glenn is a member of Concord Lodge No. 688 in Ohio, and Gus Grissom was a member of Mitchell Lodge No. 288 in Indiana.  In fact, many of America's early astronauts were Freemasons, including Buzz Aldrin, Gordon Cooper, Don Eisele, Fred Haise, Edgar Mitchell, Wally Schirra, Thomas Stafford, James Webb, and Paul Weitz.

Many of these brave men were pilots before they were astronauts--several flew fighters in World War II and the Korean War.  They were a unique breed of fearless adventures that while understanding the risks, were willing to take them in order to achieve the gains.  And the men and women that followed aboard the Space Shuttles shared that same unique spirit. 

The future of NASA is fuzzy and uncertain at this time, which is a shame.  NASA has always represented that spirit of exploration that has always been a part of the American tradition.  It would indeed be a shame if exploration of the unknown questions in our universe were abandoned by the very country that has always lead the way. 

~TEC