EDWIN EUGENE “BUZZ” ALDRIN
Serving as the Lunar Module pilot, the US astronaut was the second person on the Moon
Aldrin was born on 20 January 1930 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. During his childhood he didn’t display any great interest in space. He was intrigued by science fiction – Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon in particular – but he didn’t look towards the night sky with a great desire to explore. Growing up in Montclair, New
Jersey, Aldrin was a bright and athletic child. He graduated from Montclair High School a year early, and in 1947 he enrolled at the United States Military Academy, also known as West Point, where he gained a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering. Joining the United States Air Force, he served with distinction as a jet fighter pilot during the Korean War, which raged between 1950 and 1953.
Deciding to go back to university in 1959, he earned a doctor of science in astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Shortly after graduating four years later, he was selected by NASA to become an astronaut. It was the second time he had applied, having been inspired by his friend Ed White’s acceptance onto the Gemini program.
In 1961, after Yuri Gagarin’s spacefaring achievement, US president John F. Kennedy announced his intention to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth. To aid such a mission, Aldrin built on the knowledge gained during his thesis and worked on docking and rendezvous techniques for spacecraft in Earth and lunar orbit. Becoming known as ‘Dr Rendezvous’, Aldrin also pioneered underwater training techniques to simulate spacewalking, which would prepare astronauts to work in a weightless environment.
NASA also set up the Apollo space program. It was a three-person spacecraft as opposed to the two-person Gemini project, and its primary aim was to land astronauts on the Moon. Aldrin became part of the backup crew for Apollo 8, having been assigned as the Command Module pilot, and he worked with commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Fred W.
Haise Jr. Although it didn’t see him venture into space, Aldrin’s time would come with Apollo 11, which launched from Cape Kennedy on 16 July 1969. He was the Lunar Module pilot, Armstrong was commander and Michael Collins was the Command Module pilot.
The mission made history, touching down with just 30 seconds of fuel left in the landing tank and overshooting the intended location by four miles. Armstrong set foot on the Moon first, followed by Aldrin 19 minutes later. The event was watched by an estimated 650 million people on television, and Aldrin would describe the Moon as “magnificent desolation”.
Aldrin, Armstrong and Collins’ work was more important than simply allowing NASA to get one over on their Soviet counterparts. Aldrin and Armstrong spent 21 hours and 36 minutes on the lunar surface, using that time to collect samples as well as take photographs and videos. They also conducted experiments, took a phone call from President Richard Nixon and planted the American flag. As an elder at Webster Presbyterian Church, Aldrin performed a Christian communion on the Moon, having taken bread and wine with him.
He and Armstrong almost didn’t make it back from the surface, however. A circuit breaker switch broke off the instrument panel and they had to find a way of pushing it back in so that the ascent engine could ignite. Aldrin decided to use a felt-tipped pen, and it worked. When the astronauts finally got back to Earth, they were treated as heroes and embarked on a world tour. But although Aldrin was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and helped design the Space Shuttle, he didn’t enjoy being in the limelight. He retired from NASA in 1971 to return to the Air Force. He then retired from active duty the following year.