Buzz Aldrin

Space carrer
Space carrer
	Space career
NASA astronaut
Rank	Colonel, United States Air Force
Time in space	12 days, 1 hour and 53 minutes
Selection	NASA Astronaut Group 3
Total EVAs	4
Total EVA time	7 hours and 52 minutes
Missions	Gemini 12; Apollo 11;
Mission insignia
Retirement	July 1, 1971

Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin
	Aldrin in July 1969
Born	Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.; January 20, 1930 (age 94); Glen Ridge, New Jersey, U.S.
Nationality	American
Other names	Dr. Rendezvous
Education	Montclair High School
Alma mater	United States Military Academy, B.S. 1951; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sc.D. 1963;
Occupation	Fighter pilot; astronaut;
Known for	Second man on the Moon
Spouse(s)	Joan Ann Archer; (m. 1954; div. 1974); Beverly Van Zile; (m. 1975; div. 1978); Lois Driggs Cannon; (m. 1988; div. 2012); Anca V Faur (m. 2023);
Children	3
Parents	Edwin Eugene Aldrin Sr. (father); Marion Aldrin (née Moon) (mother);
Rank
Space carrer
	Space career
NASA astronaut
Rank	Colonel, United States Air Force
Time in space	12 days, 1 hour and 53 minutes
Selection	NASA Astronaut Group 3
Total EVAs	4
Total EVA time	7 hours and 52 minutes
Missions	Gemini 12; Apollo 11;
Mission insignia
Retirement	July 1, 1971
Website	www.buzzaldrin.com
Signature

Dr. Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., retired Colonel (born January 20, 1930) is an American pilot and astronaut. He was one of the Apollo 11 astronauts and the second person to have ever walked on the moon.

Early life

Aldrin was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He earned a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the military academy West Point in 1951. After postgraduate studies, he received a ScD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1963.From his earlier activity as a fighter pilot in the Korean War he won several medals, including the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal.

Apollo 11 mission

Aldrin was the second person in history to set foot on the Moon (after Neil Armstrong, during the Apollo 11 mission).

The Lunar Lander Module landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969.^[1]

He was 39 when he set foot on the moon.

As a Presbyterian elder, Aldrin was the first and only person to hold a religious ceremony on the Moon.^[2] Using a kit given to him by his pastor, he took communion during his moon mission.^[3]

He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. After the death of Michael Collins in 2021, Aldrin became the last surviving member of the Apollo 11 crew.

Later life

Aldrin left NASA in March 1972. He has been married four times: to Joan Archer, to Beverly Zile, to Lois Driggs Cannon, and to Anca V Faur.^[4] He had three children with Joan, named James, Janice, and Andrew. He married Cannon on Valentine's Day, 1988. He is the oldest contestant on the television series Dancing with the Stars. He competed in 2010.

Buzz Aldrin Media

Aldrin in the cockpit of a 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing F-86 Sabre after shooting down a MiG-15 fighter during the Korean War
Aldrin's gun camera footage featured in Life magazine
Aldrin in the cockpit of a Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star as an instructor at Bryan Air Force Base, Texas
Aldrin stands in space while orbiting Earth in the Gemini 12 spacecraft.
Aldrin next to the Agena work station in November 1966
Aldrin and Jim Lovell arrive on the aircraft carrier USS Wasp after the Gemini 12 mission.
Aldrin photographs a geological specimen while Neil Armstrong looks on.
- Short description: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the moon * Full description: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot, stands on the surface of the moon near the leg of the lunar module, Eagle, during the Apollo 11
Aldrin's first words after he set foot on the Moon
Aldrin calls out speeds in feet per second and distances in feet as Armstrong pilots Eagle to its lunar landing, establishing Tranquility Base, July 20, 1969.