PIONEERING TRIO: ALDRIN, ARMSTRONG, COLLINS
Along with Ohioan Neil Armstrong, two other astronauts from the Apollo 11 mission would come to be known as American heroes.
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. and Michael Collins would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom upon their return from the moon, as did Armstrong. Aldrin is known as the second man to have stepped foot on the moon. Aldrin, 89, was born in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1930.
Aldrin’s mother’s maiden name seemed to foreshadow her son’s future. Her name was Marion Moon, according to Aldrin’s website.
Aldrin was selected by NASA in 1963 to be part of just the third class of American astronauts.
Aldrin was the first astronaut with a doctorate. He is credited with having developed the docking techniques for aircraft in orbit that were critical to the Apollo missions, according to his personal website.
Aldrin’s father, 1st Lt. Edwin Aldrin Sr., was one of the founders of the Air School of Application in 1919. The school would eventually become known as the Air Force Institute of Technology, which is today based at Wright-Patterson Air Dayton’s impact on the space dream The launch: The world watches Force Base.
Michael Collins was the third astronaut on the Apollo 11 mission with Armstrong and Aldrin. Collins was born in Rome, Italy, in 1930 and, like Aldrin, was among just the third group of American astronauts selected to serve by NASA.
Collins was inspired to join NASA by another Ohio astronaut: former astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn.
Collins, who graduated from West Point in 1952, is a retired major general of the Air Force, according to his biography. He has continued to work as an aerospace consultant.
Collins continued to orbit the moon after Aldrin and Armstrong blasted off to its surface.
As they left the Columbia where Collins remained, he said he thought to himself “for the first time” that he “really felt that we were going to carry this thing off,” according to NASA.
Alongwith Armstrong, Aldrin called the successful moon landing on July 20, 1969, the “beginning of a new age.” Following the moon landing and the trio’s return to Earth, Collins talked about the possibility of future journeys to Mars. Hometown hero: Neil Armstrong Those who made Apollo 11 a success The technology that made it happen ‘One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’