Buzz Aldrin

Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. (born January 20, 1930) is an American former astronaut, U.S. Air Force colonel, and aeronautical engineer renowned for his contributions to human spaceflight. As pilot of NASA's Gemini 12 mission in 1966, he executed the program's first successful orbital rendezvous and performed three extravehicular activities (EVAs) that established techniques for effective astronaut mobility and productivity in space, addressing prior challenges with EVA fatigue. On Apollo 11 in 1969, serving as Lunar Module Pilot, Aldrin accompanied Commander Neil Armstrong in landing the Eagle module on the Moon and became the second person to walk on its surface, spending approximately two and a half hours conducting scientific tasks including sample collection and photography in the Sea of Tranquility.

Aldrin graduated third in his class from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1951, earning a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering , and subsequently flew 66 combat missions as a jet fighter pilot in F-86 Sabres during the Korean War , later serving as a gunnery instructor and aerial gunnery officer. He earned a Doctor of Science in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1963, authoring a dissertation on the theory and practice of rendezvous in near-earth space that influenced NASA's orbital mechanics strategies. Selected for NASA's third astronaut group in October 1963, his technical expertise in propulsion and orbital dynamics proved instrumental in mission planning for both Gemini and Apollo programs.

Following Apollo 11 , Aldrin briefly commanded the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base before retiring from active duty in 1972 after 21 years of service. In subsequent decades, he has advocated for sustained human exploration beyond low Earth orbit , proposing innovative concepts such as the Aldrin Cycler for efficient Mars transit and engaging in public education on space policy, while authoring memoirs detailing the psychological and operational challenges of spaceflight .

Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., later known as Buzz Aldrin, was born on January 20, 1930, at Mountainside Hospital in Glen Ridge, New Jersey , and raised primarily in neighboring Montclair. He was the only son and youngest of three children, with two older sisters, Madeleine and Fay Ann.

His father, Edwin Eugene "Gene" Aldrin Sr. (1896–1974), was a pioneering aviator who served as an officer in the U.S. Army's Aviation Section during World War I, later transferring to the Army Air Service in 1920 and rising to colonel in the Air Force; he earned advanced degrees in aeronautical engineering and worked in aviation research, influencing his son's early interest in flight. Aldrin Sr.'s career involved extensive cross-country flying and associations with early rocketry figures like Robert Goddard, providing a formative environment steeped in aviation innovation.

His mother, Marion Gladys Moon (c. 1903–1968), was the daughter of an Army chaplain and supported the family amid frequent relocations tied to her husband's military postings, though she struggled with personal challenges later in life, dying by overdose in May 1968.

Aldrin acquired his lifelong nickname "Buzz" in infancy when his sister Fay Ann, then about 18 months old, mispronounced "brother" as " buzzer ," which the family shortened and adopted. This early moniker reflected a close-knit sibling dynamic in a household where aviation discussions dominated, fostering Aldrin's boyhood fascination with airplanes and space from tinkering with models and observing his father's exploits.

Aldrin graduated from Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey , in 1947, having completed his secondary education a year early.

He then attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York , graduating third in his class of 1951 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering .