To the Moon and Back with Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is one of the most famous astronauts in US history. He was the second person to walk on the moon and spent his career in academic circles promoting space travel and exploration. As Aldrin celebrates his 95th birthday, we are taking a look back at his career.
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. was born on January 20, 1930 in Montclair, New Jersey. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1951 (graduating third in his class), followed by a doctorate in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
During the Korean War, he was a fighter pilot who flew 66 combat missions, then he was an aerial gunnery instructor at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. He was an aide for the dean of faculty at the Air Force Academy and was a flight commander in Bitburg, Germany.
Aldrin was a member of the NASA Astronaut Group 3, which was established in 1963. Three years later, he and command pilot James Lovell were launched in the Gemini 12 spacecraft on a four-day mission. On that trip, Aldrin spent five and a half hours outside the spacecraft, setting a new record for extravehicular activity.
In 1969, Aldrin was the lunar module pilot for Apollo 11 on the first ever mission to the moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to step onto the moon, spending over two hours on the surface collecting lunar material to take back to Earth.
Aldrin retired from NASA in 1971, having spent nearly 290 hours in space, with almost eight hours of extravehicular activity. He wrote his autobiographies, Return to Earth and Magnificent Desolation, and wrote Men from Earth about the Apollo program.
He helped to develop the University of North Dakota’s space studies programs and founded the ShareSpace Foundation to promote the continuation of space travel. He has been a lecturer and special speaker at many events over the years, and has advocated for humans taking trips to Mars.
Aldrin was awarded the Presidential Medal for Freedom in 1969, has honorary degrees from six colleges, and has received several scientific trophies and awards.
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To the Moon and Back with Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is one of the most famous astronauts in US history. He was the second person to walk on the moon and spent his career in academic circles promoting space travel and exploration. As Aldrin celebrates his 95th birthday, we are taking a look back at his career.
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. was born on January 20, 1930 in Montclair, New Jersey. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1951 (graduating third in his class), followed by a doctorate in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
During the Korean War, he was a fighter pilot who flew 66 combat missions, then he was an aerial gunnery instructor at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. He was an aide for the dean of faculty at the Air Force Academy and was a flight commander in Bitburg, Germany.
Aldrin was a member of the NASA Astronaut Group 3, which was established in 1963. Three years later, he and command pilot James Lovell were launched in the Gemini 12 spacecraft on a four-day mission. On that trip, Aldrin spent five and a half hours outside the spacecraft, setting a new record for extravehicular activity.
In 1969, Aldrin was the lunar module pilot for Apollo 11 on the first ever mission to the moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to step onto the moon, spending over two hours on the surface collecting lunar material to take back to Earth.
Aldrin retired from NASA in 1971, having spent nearly 290 hours in space, with almost eight hours of extravehicular activity. He wrote his autobiographies, Return to Earth and Magnificent Desolation, and wrote Men from Earth about the Apollo program.
He helped to develop the University of North Dakota’s space studies programs and founded the ShareSpace Foundation to promote the continuation of space travel. He has been a lecturer and special speaker at many events over the years, and has advocated for humans taking trips to Mars.
Aldrin was awarded the Presidential Medal for Freedom in 1969, has honorary degrees from six colleges, and has received several scientific trophies and awards.
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