Aldrin turns 90, oldest of 4 living moonwalkers

One of 12 men ever to walk on the moon has now made it around the sun 90 times.

Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., better known to the world as Buzz Aldrin, who followed Neil Armstrong onto the lunar surface during Apollo 11 in 1969 as a 39-year-old, turned 90 years old on Jan. 20.

Aldrin took to Twitter to point out his unique take on the numbers, and also look ahead to the future.

“Today is a special day. When asked for my birth date, I chuckle and say 1-20-30. Now, after circling the sun for 90 years, today is 1-2020. I came into this world in NJ on 1-20-30, and my mother was Marion Moon Aldrin and my father Edwin Aldrin. Here’s to 1-2025!” reads the post.

Many bade him happy birthday in reply, including Apollo 11 crewmate Michael Collins who said, “The big 9-0! Hope you are as hale and hearty as ever! And stay that way!”

Aldrin is the oldest of the living men who walked on the moon. The other three are 87-year-old David Scott (Apollo 15), 84-year-old Charlie Duke (Apollo 16) and 84-year-old Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17).

The last of the eight other moonwalkers to pass away was Alan Bean, in May 2018, who flew on

Apollo 12. The others were John Young (Apollo 16) who died in January 2018, Eugene Cernan (Apollo 17) in January 2017, Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14) in 2016, the first man on the moon Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11) in 2012, Pete Conrad (Apollo 12) in 1999, Alan Shepard (Apollo 14) in 1998 and Jim Irwin (Apollo 15) in 1991.

Of the men who flew to the moon but didn’t land, Bean’s command module pilot Richard “Dick” Gordon also passed away recently in November 2017. Other command module pilots that have died include Stuart Roosa (Apollo 14) in 1994 and Ronald Evans (Apollo 17) in 1990.

Apollo 11’s command module pilot, Collins, is still alive at 89, as are two of three members of the illfated Apollo 13 mission: 91-year-old Jim Lovell and 86-year-old Fred Haise Jr. Apollo 13’s Jack Swigert died in 1982 at age 51.

Also still alive are 87-year-old Alfred Worden (Apollo 15), 83-year-old Ken Mattingly (Apollo 16), 89-year-old Thomas Stafford (Apollo 10) and all three of the Apollo 8 crew: Lovell, 91-year-old Frank Borman and 86-year-old William Anders.