After earning aDoctor of Science degree inastronautics from theMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Aldrin was selected as a member ofNASA'sAstronaut Group 3, making him the first astronaut with a doctoral degree. His doctoral thesis,Line-of-Sight Guidance Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous, earned him the nickname "Dr. Rendezvous" from fellow astronauts. His first space flight was in 1966 on Gemini 12, during which he spent over five hours onextravehicular activity. Three years later, Aldrin set foot on the Moon at 03:15:16 on July 21, 1969 (UTC), nineteen minutes after Armstrong first touched the surface, whilecommand module pilotMichael Collins remained in lunar orbit. APresbyterianelder, Aldrin became the first person to hold a religious ceremony on the Moon, when he privately tookcommunion, which was the first food and liquid to be consumed there.
Aldrin was born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr. on January 20, 1930, atMountainside Hospital inGlen Ridge, New Jersey.[1] His parents,Edwin Eugene Aldrin Sr. and Marion Aldrin (née Moon), lived in neighboringMontclair.[2] His father was anArmy aviator duringWorld War I and the assistant commandant of the Army's test pilot school atMcCook Field, Ohio, from 1919 to 1922, but left the Army in 1928 and became an executive atStandard Oil.[3] Aldrin had two sisters: Madeleine, who was four years older, and Fay Ann, who was a year and a half older.[4] His nickname, which became his legal first name in 1988,[5][6] arose as a result of Fay's mispronouncing "brother" as "buzzer", which was then shortened to "Buzz".[4][7] He was aBoy Scout, achieving the rank ofTenderfoot Scout.[8]
Aldrin entered West Point in 1947.[5] He did well academically, finishing first in his class his plebe (first) year.[9] Aldrin was also an excellent athlete, competing inpole vault for the academytrack and field team.[14][15] In 1950, he traveled with a group of West Point cadets to Japan and the Philippines to study the military government policies ofDouglas MacArthur.[16] During the trip, theKorean War broke out.[17] On June 5, 1951, Aldrin graduated third in the class of 1951 with aBachelor of Science degree inmechanical engineering.[18]
Military career
Among the top of his class, Aldrin had his choice of assignments. He chose theUnited States Air Force, which had become a separate service in 1947 while Aldrin was still at West Point and did not yet have its own academy.[19][a] He was commissioned as asecond lieutenant and underwent basic flight training inT-6 Texans atBartow Air Base inFlorida. His classmates includedSam Johnson, who later became aprisoner of war in Vietnam; the two became friends. At one point, Aldrin attempted a doubleImmelmann turn in aT-28 Trojan and suffered agrayout. He recovered in time to pull out at about 2,000 feet (610 m), averting what would have been a fatal crash.[21]
When Aldrin was deciding what sort of aircraft he should fly, his father advised him to choosebombers, because command of a bomber crew gave an opportunity to learn and hone leadership skills, which could open up better prospects for career advancement. Aldrin chose instead to flyfighters. He moved toNellis Air Force Base inLas Vegas, where he learned to fly theF-80 Shooting Star and theF-86 Sabre. Like most jetfighter pilots of the era, he preferred the latter.[21]
In December 1952, Aldrin was assigned to the16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was part of the51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing. At the time it was based atSuwon Air Base, about 20 miles (32 km) south ofSeoul, and was engaged in combat operations as part of the Korean War.[18][22] During an acclimatization flight, his main fuel system froze at 100percent power, which would have soon used up all his fuel. He was able to override the setting manually, but this required holding a button down, which in turn made it impossible to also use his radio. He barely managed to make it back under enforced radio silence. He flew 66combat missions in F-86 Sabres in Korea and shot down twoMiG-15 aircraft.[22][23]
The first MiG-15 he shot down was on May 14, 1953. Aldrin was flying about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of theYalu River, when he saw two MiG-15 fighters below him. Aldrin opened fire on one of the MiGs, whose pilot may never have seen him coming.[22][24] The June 8, 1953, issue ofLife magazine featured gun camera footage taken by Aldrin of the pilot ejecting from his damaged aircraft.[25]
Aldrin's gun camera footage featured inLife magazine
Aldrin's second aerial victory came on June 4, 1953, when he accompanied aircraft from the39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in an attack on an airbase in North Korea. Their newer aircraft were faster than his and he had trouble keeping up. He then spotted a MiG approaching from above. This time, Aldrin and his opponent spotted each other at about the same time. They went through a series ofscissor maneuvers, attempting to get behind the other. Aldrin was first to do so, but his gun sight jammed. He then manually sighted his gun and fired. He then had to pull out, as the two aircraft had gotten too low for the dogfight to continue. Aldrin saw the MiG's canopy open and the pilot eject, although Aldrin was uncertain whether there was sufficient time for a parachute to open.[24][26] For his service in Korea, he was awarded twoDistinguished Flying Crosses and threeAir Medals.[27]
Through theAir Force Institute of Technology, Aldrin enrolled as a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1959 intending to earn a master's degree.[31]Richard Battin was the professor for hisastrodynamics class. Two other USAF officers who later became astronauts,David Scott andEdgar Mitchell, took the course around this time. Another USAF officer,Charles Duke, also took the course and wrote his 1964 master's degree at MIT under the supervision ofLaurence R. Young.[32]
Aldrin enjoyed the classwork and soon decided to pursue a doctorate instead.[31] In January 1963, he earned aSc.D. degree inastronautics.[28][33] His doctoral thesis wasLine-of-Sight Guidance Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous, the dedication of which read: "In the hopes that this work may in some way contribute to their exploration of space, this is dedicated to the crew members of this country's present and future manned space programs. If only I could join them in their exciting endeavors!"[33] Aldrin chose his doctoral thesis in the hope that it would help him be selected as an astronaut, although it meant foregoingtest pilot training, which was a prerequisite at the time.[31]
Aldrin initially applied to join the astronaut corps when NASA'sAstronaut Group 2 was selected in 1962. His application was rejected on the grounds that he was not a test pilot. Aldrin was aware of the requirement and asked for a waiver but the request was turned down.[35] On May 15, 1963, NASA announced another round of selections, this time with the requirement that applicants had either test pilot experience or 1,000 hours of flying time in jet aircraft.[36] Aldrin had over 2,500 hours of flying time, of which 2,200 was in jets.[34] His selection as one of fourteen members of NASA'sAstronaut Group 3 was announced on October 18, 1963.[37] This made him the first astronaut with a doctoral degree which, combined with his expertise in orbital mechanics, earned him the nickname "Dr. Rendezvous" from his fellow astronauts.[38][39][40] Although Aldrin was both the most educated and the rendezvous expert in the astronaut corps,[14] he was aware that the nickname was not always intended as a compliment.[15] Upon completion of initial training, each new astronaut was assigned a field of expertise; in Aldrin's case, it was mission planning, trajectory analysis, and flight plans.[41][42]
Jim Lovell and Aldrin were selected as the backup crew ofGemini 10, commander and pilot respectively. Backup crews usually became the prime crew of the third following mission, but the last scheduled mission in the program wasGemini 12.[43] The February 28, 1966, deaths of theGemini 9 prime crew,Elliot See andCharles Bassett, in anair crash, led to Lovell and Aldrin being moved up one mission to backup for Gemini 9, which put them in position as prime crew for Gemini 12.[44][45] They were designated its prime crew on June 17, 1966, withGordon Cooper andGene Cernan as their backups.[46]
Aldrin stands in space while orbiting Earth in theGemini 12 spacecraft.
Initially, Gemini 12's mission objectives were uncertain. As the last scheduled mission, it was primarily intended to complete tasks that had not been successfully or fully carried out on earlier missions.[47] While NASA had successfully performed rendezvous during Project Gemini, thegravity-gradient stabilization test onGemini 11 was unsuccessful. NASA also had concerns aboutextravehicular activity (EVA). Cernan on Gemini9 andRichard Gordon on Gemini11 had suffered from fatigue carrying out tasks during EVA, butMichael Collins had a successful EVA on Gemini 10, which suggested that the order in which he had performed his tasks was an important factor.[48][49]
It therefore fell to Aldrin to complete Gemini's EVA goals. NASA formed a committee to give him a better chance of success. It dropped the test of the Air Force's astronaut maneuvering unit (AMU) that had given Gordon trouble on Gemini11 so Aldrin could focus on EVA. NASA revamped the training program, opting for underwater training overparabolic flight. Aircraft flying a parabolic trajectory had given astronauts an experience of weightlessness in training, but there was a delay between each parabola which gave astronauts several minutes of rest. It also encouraged performing tasks quickly, whereas in space they had to be done slowly and deliberately. Training in a viscous, buoyant fluid gave a better simulation. NASA also placed additional handholds on the capsule, which were increased from nine on Gemini9 to 44 on Gemini12, and created workstations where he could anchor his feet.[48][49]
Aldrin next to theAgena work station in November 1966
Gemini 12's main objectives were to rendezvous with a target vehicle, and fly the spacecraft and target vehicle together using gravity-gradient stabilization, perform docked maneuvers using the Agena propulsion system to change orbit, conduct a tethered stationkeeping exercise and three EVAs, and demonstrate an automatic reentry. Gemini12 also carried 14 scientific, medical, and technological experiments.[50] It was not a trailblazing mission; rendezvous from above had already been successfully performed by Gemini 9, and the tethered vehicle exercise by Gemini 11. Even gravity-gradient stabilization had been attempted by Gemini 11, albeit unsuccessfully.[49]
Gemini12 was launched fromLaunch Complex 19 atCape Canaveral on 20:46 UTC on November 11, 1966. TheGemini Agena Target Vehicle had been launched about an hour and a half before.[50] The mission's first major objective was to rendezvous with this target vehicle. As the target and Gemini12 capsule drew closer together, radar contact between the two deteriorated until it became unusable, forcing the crew to rendezvous manually. Aldrin used asextant and rendezvous charts he helped create to give Lovell the right information to put the spacecraft in position to dock with the target vehicle.[51] Gemini12 achieved the fourthdocking with an Agena target vehicle.[52]
The next task was to practice undocking and docking again. On undocking, one of the three latches caught, and Lovell had to use the Gemini's thrusters to free the spacecraft. Aldrin then docked again successfully a few minutes later. The flight plan then called for the Agena main engine to be fired to take the docked spacecraft into a higher orbit, but eight minutes after the Agena had been launched, it had suffered a loss of chamber pressure. The Mission and Flight Directors therefore decided not to risk the main engine. This would be the only mission objective that was not achieved.[52] Instead, the Agena's secondary propulsion system was used to allow the spacecraft to view thesolar eclipse of November 12, 1966, over South America, which Lovell and Aldrin photographed through the spacecraft windows.[50]
Aldrin andJim Lovell arrive on the aircraft carrierUSS Wasp after the Gemini12 mission.
Aldrin performed three EVAs. The first was a standup EVA on November 12, in which the spacecraft door was opened and he stood up, but did not leave the spacecraft. The standup EVA mimicked some of the actions he would do during his free-flight EVA, so he could compare the effort expended between the two. It set an EVA record of two hours and twenty minutes. The next day Aldrin performed his free-flight EVA. He climbed across the newly installed hand-holds to the Agena and installed the cable needed for the gravity-gradient stabilization experiment. Aldrin performed numerous tasks, including installing electrical connectors and testing tools that would be needed forProject Apollo. A dozen two-minute rest periods prevented him from becoming fatigued. His second EVA concluded after two hours and six minutes. A third, 55-minute standup EVA was conducted on November 14, during which Aldrin took photographs, conducted experiments, and discarded some unneeded items.[50][53]
On November 15, the crew initiated the automatic reentry system andsplashed down in the Atlantic Ocean, where they were picked up by a helicopter, which took them to the awaiting aircraft carrierUSS Wasp.[50][54] After the mission, his wife realized he had fallen into a depression, something she had not seen before.[51]
Lovell and Aldrin were assigned to an Apollo crew withNeil Armstrong as commander, Lovell as command module pilot (CMP), and Aldrin as lunar module pilot (LMP). Their assignment as the backup crew ofApollo 9 was announced on November 20, 1967.[55] Due to design and manufacturing delays in the lunar module (LM),Apollo 8 and Apollo9 swapped prime and backup crews, and Armstrong's crew became the backup for Apollo 8. Under the normal crew rotation scheme, Armstrong was expected to commandApollo 11.[56]
Aldrin photographs a geological specimen whileNeil Armstrong looks on.
Michael Collins, the CMP on the Apollo8 prime crew, required surgery to remove a bone spur on his spine.[57] Lovell took his place on the Apollo8 crew. When Collins recovered he joined Armstrong's crew as CMP. In the meantime,Fred Haise filled in as backup LMP, and Aldrin as backup CMP for Apollo 8.[58] While the CMP usually occupied the center couch on launch, Aldrin occupied it rather than Collins, as he had already been trained to operate its console on liftoff before Collins arrived.[59]
Apollo11 was the second American space mission made up entirely of astronauts who had already flown in space,[60] the first beingApollo 10.[61] The next would not be flown untilSTS-26 in 1988.[60]Deke Slayton, who was responsible for astronaut flight assignments, gave Armstrong the option to replace Aldrin with Lovell, since some thought Aldrin was difficult to work with. Armstrong thought it over for a day before declining. He had no issues working with Aldrin, and thought Lovell deserved his own command.[62]
Early versions of the EVA checklist had the lunar module pilot as the first to step onto the lunar surface. However, when Aldrin learned that this might be amended, he lobbied within NASA for the original procedure to be followed. Multiple factors contributed to the final decision, including the physical positioning of the astronauts within the compact lunar lander, which made it easier for Armstrong to be the first to exit the spacecraft. Furthermore, there was little support for Aldrin's views among senior astronauts who would command later Apollo missions.[63] Collins has commented that he thought Aldrin "resents not being first on the Moon more than he appreciates being second".[64]Aldrin and Armstrong did not have time to perform much geological training. The first lunar landing focused more on landing on the Moon and making it safely back to Earth than the scientific aspects of the mission. The duo was briefed by NASA andUSGS geologists. They made one geological field trip toWest Texas. The press followed them, and a helicopter made it hard for Aldrin and Armstrong to hear their instructor.[65]
On the morning of July 16, 1969, an estimated one million spectators watched the launch of Apollo11 from the highways and beaches in the vicinity ofCape Canaveral, Florida. The launch was televised live in 33 countries, with an estimated 25 million viewers in the United States alone. Millions more listened to radio broadcasts.[66][67] Propelled by aSaturn V rocket, Apollo11 lifted off fromLaunch Complex 39 at theKennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969, at 13:32:00UTC (9:32:00EDT),[68] and entered Earth orbit twelve minutes later. After one and a half orbits, theS-IVB third-stage engine pushed the spacecraft onto its trajectory toward the Moon. About thirty minutes later, thetransposition, docking, and extraction maneuver was performed: this involved separating thecommand moduleColumbia from the spent S-IVB stage; turning around; and docking with, and extracting, thelunar moduleEagle. The combined spacecraft then headed for the Moon, while the S-IVB stage continued on a trajectory past the Moon.[69]
Aldrin walks on the surface of the Moon during Apollo 11. Photograph by Neil Armstrong, who can be seen reflected in Aldrin's visor.Aldrin calls out speeds in feet per second and distances in feet as Armstrong pilotsEagle to its lunar landing, establishingTranquility Base, July 20, 1969.Aldrin's first words after he set foot on the Moon
On July 19 at 17:21:50 UTC, Apollo11 passed behind the Moon and fired its service propulsion engine to enterlunar orbit.[69] In the thirty orbits that followed,[70] the crew saw passing views of their landing site in the southernSea of Tranquillity about 12 miles (19 km) southwest of the craterSabine D.[71] At 12:52:00 UTC on July 20, Aldrin and Armstrong enteredEagle, and began the final preparations for lunar descent. At 17:44:00Eagle separated from theColumbia.[69] Collins, alone aboardColumbia, inspectedEagle as it pirouetted before him to ensure the craft was not damaged and that the landing gear had correctly deployed.[72][73]
Throughout the descent, Aldrin called out navigation data to Armstrong, who was busy piloting theEagle.[74] Five minutes into the descent burn, and 6,000 feet (1,800 m) above the surface of the Moon, theLM guidance computer (LGC) distracted the crew with the first of several unexpected alarms that indicated that it could not complete all its tasks in real time and had to postpone some of them.[75] Due to the 1202/1201 program alarms caused by spurious rendezvous radar inputs to the LGC,[76] Armstrong manually landed theEagle instead of using the computer's autopilot. TheEagle landed at 20:17:40 UTC on Sunday July 20 with about 25 seconds of fuel left.[77]
As aPresbyterian elder, Aldrin was the first and only person to hold a religious ceremony on the Moon. He radioed Earth: "I'd like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours, and to give thanks in his or her own way."[78] Using a kit given to him by his pastor,[79] he tookcommunion and read Jesus's words from theNew Testament's John 15:5, as Aldrin records it: "I am the vine. You are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me."[80] But he kept this ceremony secret because of a lawsuit over thereading of Genesis on Apollo 8.[81] In 1970 he commented: "It was interesting to think that the very first liquid ever poured on the Moon, and the first food eaten there, were communion elements."[82]
On reflection in his 2009 book, Aldrin said, "Perhaps, if I had it to do over again, I would not choose to celebrate communion. Although it was a deeply meaningful experience for me, it was a Christian sacrament, and we had come to the moon in the name of all mankind – be theyChristians,Jews,Muslims,animists,agnostics, oratheists. But at the time I could think of no better way to acknowledge the enormity of the Apollo11 experience than by giving thanks to God."[83] Aldrin shortly hit upon a more universally human reference on the voyage back to Earth by publicly broadcasting his reading of theOld Testament's Psalm 8:3–4, as Aldrin records: "When I considered the heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained, what is man that Thou art mindful of him."[84] Photos of these liturgical documents reveal the conflict's development as Aldrin expresses faith.[85]
Preparations for the EVA began at 23:43.[69] Once Armstrong and Aldrin were ready to go outside,Eagle was depressurized, and the hatch was opened at 02:39:33 on July 21.[69][86] Aldrin set foot on the Moon at 03:15:16 on July 21, 1969 (UTC), nineteen minutes after Armstrong first touched the surface.[69] Armstrong and Aldrin became the first and second people, respectively, to walk on the Moon. Aldrin's first words after he set foot on the Moon were "Beautiful view", to which Armstrong asked "Isn't that something? Magnificent sight out here." Aldrin answered, "Magnificent desolation."[87] Aldrin and Armstrong had trouble erecting theLunar Flag Assembly, but with some effort secured it into the surface. Aldrin saluted the flag while Armstrong photographed the scene. Aldrin positioned himself in front of the video camera and began experimenting with different locomotion methods to move about the lunar surface to aid future moonwalkers.[88] During these experiments, President Nixon called the duo to congratulate them on the successful landing. Nixon closed with, "Thank you very much, and all of us look forward to seeing you on theHornet on Thursday."[89] Aldrin replied, "I look forward to that very much, sir."[89][90]
After the call, Aldrin began photographing and inspecting the spacecraft to document and verify its condition before their flight. Aldrin and Armstrong then set up aseismometer, to detect moonquakes, and alaser beam reflector. While Armstrong inspected a crater, Aldrin began the difficult task of hammering a metal tube into the surface to obtain a core sample.[91] Most of the iconic photographs of an astronaut on the Moon taken by the Apollo11 astronauts are of Aldrin; Armstrong appears in just two color photographs. "As the sequence of lunar operations evolved," Aldrin explained, "Neil had the camera most of the time, and the majority of the pictures taken on the Moon that include an astronaut are of me. It wasn't until we were back on Earth and in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory looking over the pictures that we realized there were few pictures of Neil. My fault perhaps, but we had never simulated this during our training."[92]
Aldrin reenteredEagle first but, as he tells it, before ascending the module's ladder he became the first person to urinate on the Moon.[93] With some difficulty they lifted film and two sample boxes containing 21.55 kilograms (47.5 lb) of lunar surface material to the hatch using a flat cable pulley device.[94] Armstrong reminded Aldrin of a bag of memorial items in his sleeve pocket, and Aldrin tossed the bag down. It contained a mission patch for theApollo 1 flight that Ed White never flew due tohis death in a cabin fire during the launch rehearsal; medallions commemoratingYuri Gagarin, the first man in space (who haddied the previous year in a test flight accident), andVladimir Komarov, the first man todie in a space flight, and a silicon disk etched with goodwill messages from 73 nations.[95] After transferring to LMlife support, the explorers lightened the ascent stage for the return to lunar orbit by tossing out their backpacks, lunar overshoes, an emptyHasselblad camera, and other equipment. The hatch was closed again at 05:01, and they repressurized the lunar module and settled down to sleep.[96]
Aldrin's lunar bootprint in a photo taken by him on July 21, 1969Eagle in orbit above the Moon, photo byMichael Collins
At 17:54 UTC, they lifted off inEagle's ascent stage to rejoin Collins aboardColumbia in lunar orbit.[69] After rendezvous withColumbia, the ascent stage was jettisoned into lunar orbit, andColumbia made its way back to Earth.[97] It splashed down in the Pacific 2,660 km (1,440 nmi) east ofWake Island at 16:50 UTC (05:50 local time) on July 24.[69][98] The total mission duration was 195 hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds.[99]
Bringing backpathogens from the lunar surface was considered a possibility, albeit remote, so divers passed biological isolation garments (BIGs) to the astronauts, and assisted them into the life raft. The astronauts were winched on board the recovery helicopter, and flown to the aircraft carrierUSS Hornet,[100] where they spent the first part of the Earth-based portion of 21 days of quarantine.[101] On August 13, the three astronauts rode in ticker-tape parades in their honor in New York and Chicago, attended by an estimated six million people.[102] An officialstate dinner that evening in Los Angeles celebrated the flight. PresidentRichard Nixon honored each of them with the highest American civilian award, thePresidential Medal of Freedom (with distinction).[103][104]
On September 16, 1969, the astronauts addressed ajoint session of Congress where they thanked the representatives for their past support and implored them to continue funding the space effort.[105][106] The astronauts embarked on a 38-day world tour on September 29 that brought the astronauts to 22 foreign countries and included visits with leaders of multiple countries.[107] The last leg of the tour included Australia, South Korea, and Japan; the crew returned to the US on November 5, 1969.[108][109]
After Apollo 11, Aldrin was kept busy giving speeches and making public appearances. In October 1970, he joined Soviet cosmonautsAndriyan Nikolayev andVitaly Sevastyanov on their tour of the NASA space centers. He was also involved in the design of theSpace Shuttle. With the Apollo program coming to an end, Aldrin, now acolonel, saw few prospects at NASA, and decided to return to the Air Force on July 1, 1971.[110] During his NASA career, he had spent 289 hours and 53 minutes in space, of which 7 hours and 52 minutes was in EVA.[28]
Post-NASA activities
Aerospace Research Pilot School
Aldrin as Commandant of the Air Force Test Pilot School
Aldrin hoped to become Commandant of Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy, but the job went to his West Point classmateHoyt S. Vandenberg Jr. Aldrin was made Commandant of theUSAF Aerospace Research Pilot School atEdwards Air Force Base, California. Aldrin had neither managerial nor test pilot experience, but a third of the training curriculum was devoted to astronaut training and students flew a modifiedF-104 Starfighter to the edge of space.[111] Fellow Group 3 astronaut and moonwalkerAlan Bean considered him well qualified for the job.[112]
Aldrin did not get along well with his superior, Brigadier GeneralRobert M. White, who had earned his USAFastronaut wings flying theX-15. Aldrin's celebrity status led people to defer to him more than the higher-ranking general.[113] There were two crashes at Edwards, of anA-7 Corsair II and aT-33. No people died, but the aircraft were destroyed and the accidents were attributed to insufficient supervision, which placed the blame on Aldrin. What he had hoped would be an enjoyable job became a highly stressful one.[114]
Aldrin went to see the base surgeon. In addition to signs ofdepression, he experienced neck and shoulder pains, and hoped that the latter might explain the former.[115] He was hospitalized for depression atWilford Hall Medical Center for four weeks.[116] His mother had committed suicide in May 1968, and he was plagued with guilt that his fame after Gemini12 had contributed. His mother's father had also committed suicide, and he believed he inherited depression from them.[117] At the time there was great stigma related to mental illness and he was aware that it could not only be career-ending, but could result in his being ostracized socially.[115]
In February 1972,GeneralGeorge S. Brown paid a visit to Edwards and informed Aldrin that the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School was being renamed the USAF Test Pilot School and the astronaut training was being dropped. With the Apollo program winding down, and Air Force budgets being cut, the Air Force's interest in space diminished.[114] Aldrin elected to retire as a colonel on March 1, 1972, after 21 years of service. His father and GeneralJimmy Doolittle, a close friend of his father, attended the formal retirement ceremony.[114]
Post retirement
Aldrin's father died on December 28, 1974, from complications following aheart attack.[118] Aldrin's autobiographies,Return to Earth (1973) andMagnificent Desolation (2009), recounted his struggles withclinical depression andalcoholism in the years after leaving NASA.[119][120][121] Encouraged by a therapist to take a regular job, Aldrin worked selling used cars, at which he had no talent.[122] Periods of hospitalization and sobriety alternated with bouts of heavy drinking. Eventually he was arrested fordisorderly conduct. Finally, in October 1978, he quit drinking for good. Aldrin attempted to help others with drinking problems, including actorWilliam Holden. Holden's girlfriendStefanie Powers had portrayed Marianne, a woman with whom Aldrin had an affair, in the 1976TV movie version ofReturn to Earth. Aldrin was saddened by Holden's alcohol-related death in 1981.[123]
Bart Sibrel incident
On September 9, 2002, Aldrin was lured to aBeverly Hills hotel on the pretext of being interviewed for a Japanese children's television show on the subject of space.[124] When he arrived,Moon landing conspiracy theoristBart Sibrel accosted him with a film crew and demanded he swear on a Bible that the Moon landings were not faked. After a brief confrontation, during which Sibrel followed Aldrin despite being told to leave him alone, and called him "a coward, a liar, and a thief" the 72-year-old Aldrin punched Sibrel in the jaw, an act caught on camera by Sibrel's film crew. Aldrin said he had acted to defend himself and his stepdaughter. Witnesses said Sibrel had aggressively poked Aldrin with a Bible. Additional mitigating factors were that Sibrel sustained no visible injury and did not seek medical attention, and that Aldrin had no criminal record. The police declined to press charges against Aldrin,[125][126] and the deputy district attorney of the Beverly Hills office declared that Sibrel had provoked him.[127]
USAF Thunderbirds pilots pose for a photo with Aldrin prior to his flight at an air show inMelbourne, Florida, on April 2, 2017. Aldrin became the oldest person to fly with the Thunderbirds.[128]
Detached adapter panel sighting
In 2005, while being interviewed for aScience Channel documentary titledFirst on the Moon: The Untold Story, Aldrin told an interviewer the Apollo 11 crew had seen an unidentified flying object (UFO). The documentary makers omitted the crew's conclusion that they probably saw one of the four detached spacecraft adapter panels from the upper stage of the SaturnV rocket. The panels had been jettisoned before the separation maneuver so they closely followed the spacecraft until the first mid-course correction. When Aldrin appeared onThe Howard Stern Show on August 15, 2007, Stern asked him about the supposed UFO sighting. Aldrin confirmed that there was no such sighting of anything deemed extraterrestrial and said they were, and are, "99.9 percent" sure the object was the detached panel.[129][130] According to Aldrin his words had been taken out of context. He made a request to the Science Channel to make a correction, but was refused.[131]
Polar expedition
In December 2016, Aldrin was part of a tourist group visiting theAmundsen–Scott South Pole Station inAntarctica when he fell ill and was evacuated, first toMcMurdo Station and from there toChristchurch, New Zealand.[132] At 86 years of age, Aldrin's visit made him the oldest person to reach the South Pole. He had traveled to the North Pole in 1998.[133][134]
Mission to Mars advocacy
Aldrin at a preview of the Destination: Mars experience
After leaving NASA, Aldrin continued to advocate for space exploration. In 1985 he joined theUniversity of North Dakota (UND)'sCollege of Aerospace Sciences at the invitation of John D. Odegard, the dean of the college. Aldrin helped to develop UND's Space Studies program and broughtDavid Webb from NASA to serve as the department's first chair.[135] To further promote space exploration, and to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing, Aldrin teamed up withSnoop Dogg,Quincy Jones,Talib Kweli, andSoulja Boy to create the rap single and video "Rocket Experience", proceeds from which were donated to Aldrin's non-profit foundation,ShareSpace.[136] He is also a member of theMars Society's Steering committee.[137]
In 1985, Aldrin proposed a special spacecrafttrajectory now known as theAldrin cycler.[138][139] Cycler trajectories offer reduced cost of repeated travel to Mars by using less propellant. The Aldrin cycler provided a five and a half month journey from the Earth to Mars, with a return trip to Earth of the same duration on a twin cycler orbit. Aldrin continues to research this concept with engineers from Purdue University.[140] In 1996 Aldrin founded Starcraft Boosters, Inc. (SBI) to design reusable rocket launchers.[141]
In December 2003, Aldrin published an opinion piece inThe New York Times criticizing NASA's objectives. In it, he voiced concern about NASA's development of aspacecraft "limited to transporting four astronauts at a time with little or no cargo carrying capability" and declared the goal of sending astronauts back to the Moon was "more like reaching for past glory than striving for new triumphs".[142]
In a June 2013 opinion piece inThe New York Times, Aldrin supported ahuman mission to Mars and which viewed the Moon "not as a destination but more a point of departure, one that places humankind on a trajectory to homestead Mars and become a two-planet species."[143] In August 2015, Aldrin, in association with theFlorida Institute of Technology, presented a master plan to NASA for consideration where astronauts, with a tour of duty of ten years, establish a colony on Mars before the year 2040.[144]
Awards and honors
Aldrin addresses the crowd during the ceremony for his honorary promotion to brigadier general
In 1999, while celebrating the 30th anniversary of the lunar landing, Vice PresidentAl Gore, who was also the vice-chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents, presented the Apollo11 crew with theSmithsonian Institution'sLangley Gold Medal for aviation. After the ceremony, the crew went to the White House and presented PresidentBill Clinton with an encased Moon rock.[156][157] The Apollo11 crew was awarded the New FrontierCongressional Gold Medal in the Capitol Rotunda in 2011. During the ceremony, NASA administratorCharles Bolden said, "Those of us who have had the privilege to fly in space followed the trail they forged."[158][159]
Aldrin in 2001 wearing the Presidential Medal of Freedom he received in 1969
The Apollo11 crew were awarded theCollier Trophy in 1969. The National Aeronautic Association president awarded a duplicate trophy to Collins and Aldrin at a ceremony.[160] The crew was awarded the 1969 General Thomas D. White USAF Space Trophy.[161] The National Space Club named the crew the winners of the 1970Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy, awarded annually for the greatest achievement in spaceflight.[162] They received the internationalHarmon Trophy for aviators in 1970,[163][164] conferred to them by Vice PresidentSpiro Agnew in 1971.[165] Agnew also presented them theHubbard Medal of the National Geographic Society in 1970. He told them, "You've won a place alongside Christopher Columbus in American history".[166] In 1970, the Apollo11 team were co-winners of theIven C. Kincheloe award from theSociety of Experimental Test Pilots along withDarryl Greenamyer who broke the world speed record for piston engine airplanes.[167] For contributions to the television industry, they were honored with round plaques on theHollywood Walk of Fame.[168]
Aldrin received honorary degrees from six colleges and universities,[28] and was named as the Chancellor of theInternational Space University in 2015.[172] He was a member of theNational Space Society's Board of Governors,[173] and has served as the organization's chairman. In 2016, his hometown middle school in Montclair, New Jersey, was renamed Buzz Aldrin Middle School.[174] TheAldrin crater on the Moon near the Apollo11 landing site and Asteroid6470 Aldrin are named in his honor.[149]
Aldrin has been married four times. His first marriage was on December 29, 1954, to Joan Archer (1930–2015), aRutgers University andColumbia University alumna with a master's degree.[180] They filed for divorce in 1974.[181][182] They had three children, James, Janice and Andrew. As of 2025,[update] he had one grandson, Jeffrey Schuss, born to his daughter Janice, and three great-grandsons and one great-granddaughter.[183][184]
His second wife was Beverly Van Zile, whom he married on December 31, 1975,[185] and divorced in 1978.
His third wife was Lois Driggs Cannon (1929–2018), whom he married on February 14, 1988.[186][187] Their divorce was finalized in December 2012. The settlement included 50percent of their $475,000 bank account and $9,500 a month plus 30percent of his annual income, estimated at more than $600,000.[188][189]
On January 20, 2023, his 93rd birthday, Aldrin married for the fourth time, to his 63-year-old companion, Anca Faur.[190][176] She died peacefully on October 28, 2025, at the age of 66.[191][192] Aldrin described Faur as "the love of [his] life."[191][192]
Legal disputes
In 2018, Aldrin was involved in a legal dispute with his children Andrew and Janice and former business manager Christina Korp over their claims that he was mentally impaired throughdementia andAlzheimer's disease. His children alleged that he made new friends who were alienating him from the family and encouraging him to spend his savings at a high rate. They sought to be named legal guardians so they could control his finances.[193] In June, Aldrin filed a lawsuit against Andrew, Janice, Korp, and businesses and foundations run by the family.[194] Aldrin alleged that Janice was not acting in his financial interest and that Korp was exploiting the elderly. He sought to remove Andrew's control of Aldrin's social media accounts, finances, and businesses. The situation ended when his children withdrew their petition and he dropped the lawsuit in March 2019, several months before the 50th anniversary of the Apollo11 mission.[195]
In the2024 presidential election, he endorsed Trump.[200] Aldrin cited Trump's promotion of space exploration policy as a reason for his endorsement, claiming that interest in it has waned in previous years.[201] He was quoted with saying "For me, for the future of our Nation, to meet enormous challenges, and for the proven policy accomplishments above, I believe the nation is best served by voting for Donald J. Trump". He added, "I wholeheartedly endorse him forPresident of the United States. Godspeed President Trump, and God Bless the United States of America".[202]
Freemasonry
Buzz Aldrin is the firstFreemason to set foot on the Moon.[203] Aldrin was initiated into Freemasonry at Oak Park Lodge No. 864 in Alabama and raised at Lawrence N. Greenleaf Lodge, No. 169 in Colorado.[204]
By the time Aldrin stepped onto the lunar surface, he was a member of two Masonic lodges: Montclair Lodge No. 144 in New Jersey and Clear Lake Lodge No. 1417 in Seabrook, Texas, where he was invited to serve on the High Council and was ordained in the 33rd degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.[205]
Aldrin is also a member ofYork Rite and Arabia Shrine Temple of Houston.[205]
Other
In 2007, Aldrin confirmed toTime magazine that he had recently had aface-lift, joking that theg-forces he was exposed to in space "caused a sagging jowl that needed some attention".[206]
Following the 2012 death of his Apollo11 colleague Neil Armstrong, Aldrin said he was
... deeply saddened by the passing... I know I am joined by many millions of others from around the world in mourning the passing of a true American hero and the best pilot I ever knew... I had truly hoped that on July 20, 2019, Neil, Mike and I would be standing together to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of our moon landing.[207]
Aldrin explains toOptimus Prime and theAutobots that Apollo 11's top secret mission was to investigate a Cybertronian ship on thefar side of the Moon whose existence was concealed from the public.[227]
Aldrin, Buzz and Marianne Dyson. 2015.Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Children's Books.ISBN9781426322068.
Aldrin, Buzz and Ken Abraham. 2016.No Dream Is Too High: Life Lessons from a Man Who Walked on the Moon. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Books.ISBN9781426216503.
^A 1949 agreement allowed up to 25percent of the graduating classes of West Point and Annapolis to volunteer for the Air Force. Between 1950, when the agreement became effective, and 1959, when the first class graduated from theUnited States Air Force Academy, about 3,200 West Point cadets and Annapolis midshipmen chose to do so.[20]
Citations
^Kaulessar, Ricardo (September 22, 2016)."The Place Where There's Buzz".The Montclair Times. Montclair, New Jersey. p. A5 – via Newspapers.com.
^Chandler, David L. (June 3, 2009)."To the Moon, by way of MIT"(PDF).TechTalk. Vol. 53, no. 27. pp. 6–8. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on February 10, 2017. RetrievedFebruary 1, 2019.
^abAldrin, Buzz (1963).Line-of-sight guidance techniques for manned orbital rendezvous (Sc.D.). MIT.hdl:1721.1/12652.
^Bostick, Jerry C. (February 23, 2000)."Jerry C. Bostick Oral History" (Interview). Interviewed by Carol Butler. NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project. RetrievedDecember 10, 2016.
^Jones, Eric M., ed. (1995)."The First Lunar Landing".Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal. NASA. Archived fromthe original on December 27, 2016. RetrievedJune 13, 2013.
^Morrison, David (2009)."UFOs and Aliens in Space".Skeptical Inquirer.33 (1):30–31. Archived fromthe original on October 23, 2015. RetrievedOctober 25, 2015.
^Aldrin, E.E., "Cyclic Trajectory Concepts", SAIC presentation to the Interplanetary Rapid Transit Study Meeting, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, October 1985.
^Congressional Gold Medal to Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins.2000 Congressional Record,Vol. 146, Page H4714 (June 20, 2000). Accessed April 16, 2015.
^"小栗旬＆岡田将生主演『宇宙兄弟』に野口聡一、バズ・オルドリンが出演" [Shunichi Noguchi and Buzz Aldrin appear in 'Space Brothers', starring Oguri Shun & Masao Okada].ぴあ映画生活 (Pia Movie Life) (in Japanese). March 22, 2012. Archived fromthe original on April 6, 2019. RetrievedDecember 1, 2016.
^"Från Senegal till Buzz Aldrin" [From Senegal to Buzz Aldrin] (in Swedish). Discovery. October 7, 2015. Archived fromthe original on August 21, 2018. RetrievedAugust 21, 2018.
Carmichael, Scott W. (2010).Moon Men Return: USSHornet and the Recovery of the Apollo11 Astronauts. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-1-59114-110-5.OCLC562772897.
Cullum, George W. (1960).Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the US Military Academy at West Point New York Since Its Establishment in 1802: Supplement Volume X 1950–1960. West Point, NY: West Point Alumni Foundation.
Elman, Julie Passanante (2014).Chronic Youth: Disability, Sexuality, and U.S. Media Cultures of Rehabilitation. New York: New York University Press.ISBN978-1-4798-4110-3.OCLC942230781.
Farmer, Gene; Hamblin, Dora Jane (1970).First on the Moon – A Voyage with Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. Boston: Little Brown.ISBN978-0-316-05160-6.OCLC994003232.
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