Moon Walker #2: Buzz Aldrin

Moon Mission: Apollo 11

Role: Lunar Module Pilot

Brief Bio: Buzz Aldrin, born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr. on January 20, 1930, is an American former astronaut, engineer, and fighter pilot. He was the Lunar Module Eagle pilot on the 1969 Apollo 11 mission and the second person to walk on the Moon, following Neil Armstrong. Aldrin is the last surviving Apollo 11 crew member after the deaths of Armstrong in 2012 and Michael Collins in 2021.

Did you know: Buzz Aldrin was the first person to urinate on the Moon, an event he mentioned before reentering the lunar module during the Apollo 11 mission.

Afterward: After leaving NASA in 1971, Aldrin became Commandant of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, retired from the Air Force in 1972, and later struggled with clinical depression and alcoholism, which he detailed in his autobiographies. He continues to advocate for space exploration, particularly a human mission to Mars.

Key Statements: "Beautiful view. Magnificent desolation."