Buzz Aldrin

In 1969, during the Apollo 11 space mission, Buzz Aldrin became the second human to set foot on the Moon’s surface. An astronaut, mechanical engineer and author, Aldrin also spent twenty-one years serving in the United States Air Force and is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Early Life & Education

Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin was born on January 20, 1930, in Montclair, New Jersey to Edwin Eugene and Marion Aldrin. His sister called him “Buzzer,” a mispronunciation of the word “brother,” which eventually led to his being known as “Buzz” (he legally changed his name in the 1980s).

Aldrin attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating third in his class and earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He then joined the Air Force and flew F-86 Sabre jets in sixty-six combat missions during the Korean War, later earning a Distinguished Flying Cross for his service. After a tour of duty in Germany, Aldrin returned to the US and earned a PhD in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

NASA Career

In 1963, Aldrin was selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to be one of the fourteen astronauts that comprised Astronaut Group Three. In 1966, he served as a pilot in the Gemini 12 mission, a manned spaceflight during which Aldrin performed a tethered spacewalk. It was during this flight that Aldrin pioneered various manned space rendezvous techniques.

The first manned mission to land on the Moon, the Apollo 11, launched on July 16, 1969. Buzz Aldrin served as the pilot of the lunar module, known as the Eagle, that would, four days after takeoff, separate from the Columbia, the command module, and land on the Moon’s surface. Before he and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong began their extravehicular activity (EVA) on the Moon, Aldrin broadcast to Mission Control and requested that everyone take a moment of silence to “contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way.”

The two astronauts spent about two and a half hours on the Moon before returning to the module and preparing for departure. Aldrin is known for being the second human to set foot on the lunar surface, as well as for describing the landscape’s “magnificent desolation.” After returning safely from the Moon, both Aldrin and Armstrong were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Post-NASA Career

After leaving NASA in 1971, Aldrin served as Commandant of the US Air Force Test Pilot School before retiring from the military in 1972. In 1996, he founded StarCraft Boosters, Inc., a company focused on reusable rocket design and space transportation concepts. Aldrin has also written many books, beginning with his 1973 autobiography Return to Earth. He also wrote two children’s books and two science fiction books. In 2009, his memoir, Magnificent Desolation, was published. In 2011, Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and John Glenn received the New Frontier Congressional Gold Medal at the US Capitol. In December 2016, Aldrin was part of a tourist group visiting the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica. This made Aldrin, then eighty-six years old, the oldest person to visit the South Pole. During the trip, Aldrin fell ill and was quickly evacuated. In 2019, Aldrin was granted the Starmus Festival’s Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication. In 2023, Aldrin was given the honorary rank of brigadier general in the United States Air Force. He was also named an honorary Space Force guardian. In 2024, Aldrin participated in the inaugural United Nations Conference on Sustainable Lunar Activities, where he advocated for international cooperation in future lunar exploration. In 2025, Aldrin participated in a video call with Pope Leo XIV, to mark the fifty-sixth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

Personal Life

Aldrin married Joan Archer in 1954. The couple had three children, James, Janice and Andrew, before divorcing in 1974. In 1975, Aldrin married Beverly Zile. The couple divorced three years later. In 1988, he married Lois Driggs Cannon. On January 20, 2023, Aldrin announced that he had married his fourth wife, Anca Faur. Anca Faur Aldrin died on October 28, 2025, at age sixty-six.

Bibliography

“Buzz Aldrin.” Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/Buzz-Aldrin. Accessed 26 May 2026.

“Buzz Aldrin.” National Space Society, nss.org/national-space-society-governor-buzz-aldrin-biography/. Accessed 27 May 2026.

“Buzz Aldrin Married for the Fourth Time, Aged 93.” BBC, 21 Jan. 2023, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64359316. Accessed 27 May 2026.

Hornung, Lisa. “Anca Faur Aldrin, 66, Wife of Ex-Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Dies of Cancer.” UPI, 30 Oct. 2025, www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/10/30/anca-faur-aldrin-buzz-aldrin-diea-cancer/5291761851842/. Accessed 26 May 2026.

Munoz, Anabel. “Buzz Aldrin Named Air Force Brigadier General in Honor of Contributions to Space Program.” ABC, 9 May 2023, abc7.com/buzz-aldrin-astronauts-brigadier-general-nasa/13216556/. Accessed 27 May 2026.

Pearlman, Robert Z. “John Glenn, Apollo 11 Crew Awarded Congressional Gold Medals.” Collect SPACE, 16 Nov. 2011, www.collectspace.com/news/news-111611a-glenn-apollo-11-congressional-gold-medal.html. Accessed 26 May 2026.

“Pope Leo XIV Marks 56th Anniversary of Moon Landing with Observatory Visit, Call to Buzz Aldrin.” Associated Press, 20 July 2025, apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-leo-moonwalk-space-observatory-astronaut-be7e93221a0f524782d137ccd291bd0a. Accessed 26 May 2026.

“United Nations Conference on Sustainable Lunar Activities 2024.” United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, United Nations, www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/moon-mars-and-beyond/sustainable-lunar-activities-conference-2024.html. Accessed 26 May 2026.