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Buzz Aldrin            

Former Fighter Pilot & 2nd Man to Walk on the Moon; Author

Buzz Aldrin grew up in Montclair, New Jersey. His mother, Marion Moon, was the daughter of an Army Chaplain and his father Edwin Eugene Aldrin was an aviation pioneer. Buzz graduated one year early from Montclair High School and he attended the US Military Academy at West Point, graduating third in his class with a BS in mechanical engineering. He then joined the Air Force where he flew F86 Sabre Jets in 66 combat missions in Korea, shot down two MIG-15′s, and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross. After a tour of duty in Germany flying F100′s, he earned his Doctorate of Science in Astronautics at MIT and wrote his thesis on Manned Orbital Rendezvous.

Selected by NASA in 1963 into the third group of astronauts, Aldrin was the first with a doctorate and became known as “Dr. Rendezvous.” The docking and rendezvous techniques he devised for spacecraft in Earth and lunar orbit became critical to the success of the Gemini and Apollo programs, and are still used today. He pioneered underwater training techniques to simulate spacewalking. In 1966 on the Gemini 12 orbital mission, Buzz performed the world’s first successful spacewalk – extra-vehicular activity (EVA), and set a new EVA record of 5 1⁄2 hours. During that mission, he also took the first ‘selfie’ in space.

On July 20, 1969, Buzz and Neil Armstrong made their historic Apollo 11 moonwalk, becoming the first two humans to set foot on another world. An estimated 600 million people – at that time, the world’s largest television audience in history – witnessed this unprecedented heroic endeavor.

Upon returning from the moon, Buzz was decorated with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and numerous awards all over the world. Named after Buzz are Asteroid “6470 Aldrin” and the “Aldrin Crater” on the moon. In 2011 along with his Apollo 11 crewmates Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, he received the Congressional Gold Medal. Most recently, he was named a member of the Space Advisory Committee by the Vice President of the United States.

Buzz is the author of 9 books, including his children’s book, Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet and NY Times and Washington Post Bestseller, No Dream Is Too High: Life Lessons from a Man Who Walked on the Moon. Both published by National Geographic.

Since retiring from NASA and the U.S. Air Force, Col. Aldrin became a Global Statesman for Space and has remained a tireless advocate for human space exploration.

Speech Topics


Buzz Aldrin's Vision for the Future

Dr. Aldrin takes audiences on a journey into the future with his vision of a space-faring world where "citizen explorers" take space tours beyond lower-earth orbit and the Aldrin "Mars Cycler" space ship makes frequent stops for astronaut explorers on Mars.

Reach for the Stars

Sharing memories and insights from his momentous walk on the moon and his illustrious career, Dr. Aldrin encourages audiences to "reach for the stars" in life's endeavors.

News


Buzz Aldrin Wants You to Know -- the Sky Is Not the Limit
You might not know it, but Buzz Aldrin was rejected the first time he applied to NASA's astronaut program. He'd try again -- and make it -- but only to a backup ...
Buzz Aldrin, second man on moon, on new book "No Dream Is Too ...
It's been nearly 50 years since Buzz Aldrin stepped foot on the moon. But the American hero still has his sights set on space. At 86 years old, Buzz Aldrin still ...
Legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin lays out his hopes for colonizing Mars
When I met with Buzz Aldrin to discuss his new book No Dream Is Too High: Life Lessons From a Man Who Walked on the Moon, he described himself as possibly “among the luckiest guys.”
Buzz Aldrin on March Madness, brackets and basketball on Mars (or something?)
Buzz Aldrin went to the moon, you know. I mean, of course you know this. This is a science blog for The Washington Post (dot com), you guys aren't chumps. I'm just saying, Buzz Aldrin has literally walked on the moon.
Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin Launches 'Mission to Mars' Book Tour ...
Buzz Aldrin, the second person to set foot on the moon during humanity's first lunar ... He is then scheduled to sign books at the San Diego Air and Space Museum ... as well as media appearances including BBC America's "The Nerdist" and ...

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