The footprints that Neil Armstrong left on the moon will inspire people to chase “impossible dreams”. The astronaut is my role model for he took a “giant leap for mankind” and made moon-walking a reality.

He was just two-years-old when he saw an airplane and was fascinated with flying. However, it was when he turned six that he got the opportunity of travelling by air and instantly decided that he would become a pilot. He took up odd jobs to pay for his flight lessons.

He became a navy pilot as a teenager and fought in the Korean War and also flew rocket-powered airplanes. He was inducted into Nasa at 32, and seven years later, landed on the moon.

Armstrong not only changed people’s perception about space but also helped me decide my goal in life. I, too, want to become an astronaut for Nasa and have started preparing for it. He walked on the moon but I want to be the first person to walk on the surface of Mars.

Ephraim Ray, Class VIII,

Takshila School,

Bhubaneswar