Buzz Aldrin

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**Buzz Aldrin**
Astronaut

Nationality	American
Born	January 20, 1930 (age 77) Glen Ridge, New Jersey, USA
Occupation¹	Fighter pilot
Rank	Colonel, USAF
Space time	12d 01h 52m
Selection	1963 NASA Group
Mission(s)	Gemini 12, Apollo 11
Mission insignia
¹ previous or current

Colonel Buzz Aldrin, Sc.D (born January 20, 1930 as Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.) is an American pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 11, the first lunar landing. He became the second man to set foot on the Moon (after Mission Commander Neil Armstrong).

1 Biography
2 Confrontation with Bart Sibrel
3 Trivia
4 Aldrin in the movies
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Aldrin was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey,^[1] where he became a Tenderfoot in the Boy Scouts of America.^[2] He attended Montclair High School in Montclair, New Jersey, and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. As a boy, he was given the nickname "Buzz" by his sister—she mispronounced "brother" as "buzzer", and this was shortened to Buzz—and he made it his legal first name in 1988.[2] [3]

[edit] Military career

Buzz Aldrin in dress uniform

He graduated third in his class in 1951 with a bachelor of science degree. Aldrin was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and served as a jet fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, where he flew 66 combat missions in F-86 Sabres and shot down two Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 aircraft. After leaving Korea, Aldrin was an aerial gunnery instructor at Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada, and later an aide to the dean of faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy. After leaving this assignment, Aldrin flew F-100 Super Sabres as a flight commander at Bitburg, Germany in the 22nd Fighter Squadron. Aldrin earned his doctorate of science in Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His graduate thesis was Line-of-sight guidance techniques for manned orbital rendezvous. After leaving MIT, he returned to the Air Force and was assigned to the Gemini Target Office of the Air Force Space Systems Division in Los Angeles, and later to Edwards Air Force Base at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. In March 1972, Aldrin retired from active duty after 21 years of service.

[edit] Time as an astronaut

Buzz walks on the surface of the Moon during Apollo 11.

Aldrin was selected as part of the third group of NASA astronauts in October 1963. His serious and intellectual manner proved invaluable during the planning of the Gemini missions but he was not in line for a flight. The deaths of the prime crew for Gemini 9 meant that Aldrin was promoted to back-up crew for the mission. Gemini 9A's main objective was to rendezvous and dock with a target vehicle but when this failed Aldrin improvised an effective exercise for the craft to rendezvous with a co-ordinate in space. He was confirmed as pilot on Gemini 12, the last Gemini mission and the last chance to prove methods for EVA. He utilized revolutionary techniques during training for that mission, including neutrally-buoyant underwater training. Such techniques are still used today. Aldrin set a record for extra-vehicular activity and proved that astronauts could work outside the spacecraft. It was because of this that Deke Slayton credited Aldrin with 'Saving the space program'.

In 2005, while being interviewed for a documentary entitled "First on the Moon: The Untold Story" (aka Apollo 11: The Untold Story), Buzz relayed to an interviewer that he and the crew of the Apollo 11 witnessed an unidentified flying object (UFO). He claimed that, out of fear of being forced to turn back should someone on the ground fear the possible presence of aliens, they chose to inform Mission Control via a subtle request for the current position of the S-IVB. After the documentary aired, David Morrison, an NAI Senior Scientist, claims to have had a conversation with Buzz in which he explained that the documentary cut out the interview portions in which Buzz told interviewers that the Apollo 11 crew ultimately concluded that they were probably seeing a detached panel from the spacecraft.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Aldrin has had a much more public persona than Neil Armstrong, and much has been said about his desire at the time to be the first astronaut out of the Lunar Module, and therefore the first to walk on the moon. The matter was dramatized in the miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, based on Andrew Chaikin's book A Man On The Moon.

Buzz is well known for having a spiritual side, being a Freemason, and for having made statements about God — including receiving Communion on the surface of the moon.^{[citation needed]} After landing on the moon, Aldrin radioed earth with these words: "I'd like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours, and to give thanks in his or her own way." Aldrin kept his Communion a secret because of the lawsuit regarding the reading of Genesis on Apollo 8.^[7] Using a pastor's home Communion kit given to him by Dean Woodruff and using words used by his pastor at Webster Presbyterian Church, Aldrin celebrated Communion alone, without his colleague Armstrong participating.^[8]

[edit] Retirement

After leaving active duty as an astronaut Aldrin returned to the Air Force in a managerial role but his career was blighted by personal problems. His autobiography Return to Earth provides an account of his struggles with depression and alcoholism in the years following his NASA career. Since retiring from NASA, he has continued to promote space exploration, including producing a unique computer strategy game called "Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space" (1992). He played the role of Reverend Woodruff in the 1996 TV movie Apollo 11.

Aldrin near module leg

Aldrin also teamed up with science fiction author John Barnes to write Encounter With Tiber and The Return.

In 2001, President Bush appointed Aldrin to the Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry^[9]^[10]

A small crater on the Moon near the Apollo 11 landing site is named in his honor.

He also has a TV star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood and Vine.

In 2003 he was awarded The Humanitarian Award by Variety International. Variety the Children's Charity is a worldwide children's charity for disabled and disadvantaged children. The award is for their dedication to the cause of humanity and their devotion to the betterment of mankind.^{[citation needed]}

He voiced himself in "Deep Space Homer", an episode of The Simpsons in which he flies into space with Homer Simpson and fictional astronaut Race Banyon. He also appeared in an interview with Ali G in the British comedy series Ali G in da USA, during which Ali G referred to him as Buzz Lightyear and asked him if he thought man would ever walk on the sun.

He currently serves on the National Space Society's [4] Board of Governors, and has served as the organization's Chairman. He is currently a member of The Planetary Society, with Aldrin's pre-recorded voice appearing on nearly every episode of the Society's Planetary Radio.

In 2005, through small publisher Flatsigned Press, Aldrin released two leather bound signed limited editions, Men From Earth and Encounter With Tiber.

[edit] Confrontation with Bart Sibrel

In September, 2002, Bart Sibrel (a vocal proponent of the idea that NASA faked the moon landings) repeated demands (over several years) that Aldrin swear an oath on the Bible that he had walked on the Moon, or admit that it was all a hoax. Aldrin had pointedly ignored Sibrel, refusing to swear an oath, and Sibrel was becoming much more aggressive with Aldrin and several other Apollo astronauts. Sibrel often gained access to the astronauts by lying and claiming to represent organizations that he does not associate with all the while assuming several fake identities. When he approached Aldrin on 9 September 2002, he cornered Aldrin and a young female relative, stood in their way as they tried to leave the area and shoving a Bible towards Aldrin several times, called Aldrin "a coward, a liar, and a thief". Aldrin punched Sibrel in the face,^[11] later indicating that he felt forced to defend himself and his companion. Sibrel suffered no permanent injury. Although the Beverly Hills police investigated the incident, charges were never filed.

[edit] Trivia

Dragon Models Ltd. released a 1:6 scale action figure of Aldrin in his Apollo 11 spacesuit.

Aldrin has claimed ownership of the famous photo of him on the moon taken by Neil Armstrong in which Aldrin's left arm is "cocked". Aldrin filed a lawsuit against his former manager Peter F. Paul in 1998 for arranging to have a medallion honoring the thirtieth anniversary of Apollo 11, bearing that sculpted image of that photo, without paying a royalty to Aldrin. Aldrin has claimed royalties from any commercial use of that photo.
Aldrin appeared as himself in an episode of the CBS TV show NUMB3RS. He escorted character Larry to NASA, where he flew in the Space Shuttle
Monty Python ran the closing credits of a show over a portrait of the astronaut titled "The Buzz Aldrin Show" while the American national anthem played, following a reference by Graham Chapman's demented constable in the "Chemists Sketch".
Aldrin's 1989 biography Men From Earth was the inspiration for the band of the same name.
Aldrin is a descendant of blacksmiths from Värmland, Sweden.
Aldrin's mother's maiden name was Moon.
In 1996, Aldrin descended to the wreck of the RMS Titanic on the INFRAER submersible. [5]
Aldrin's wristwatch, an Omega Speedmaster Professional was actually the first watch on the moon. Neil Armstrong had left his own Speedmaster in the LM as a backup. The watch was later stolen from Aldrin's personal effects en route to the Smithsonian and has never been recovered.
Aldrin appeared on the British comedy series Trigger Happy TV with Dom Joly, accompanying Dom who posed as a door to door salesman.
Aldrin was disliked by Eugene Cernan.^[12]
Aldrin was given the nickname Doctor Rendezvous by the astronauts in the space program due to his inability to talk about anything other than rendezvous operations.^[12]
Aldrin lobbied very strongly to be the first one out of the lunar module and thus becoming the first man to set foot on the moon on the Apollo 11 mission.^[12]
When shown the launch footage from the movie Apollo 13, he asked Ron Howard what NASA source they got the footage from. Upon receiving the reply that the footage was computer generated, he reportedly asked if he could use it anyway.
Aldrin has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California.
Aldrin took part in a April 15, 2003 celebrity car race for charity at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in which his car collided with that of swimsuit model Angie Everhart.
Aldrin is the model for the MTV Video Music Awards "moonman" statue and was also the model for a 1:6 scale action figure by Dragon Models.
On November 9, Aldrin was reunited with the Gemini 12 space capsule along with crew member Jim Lovell for the opening of the "Shoot for the Moon" exhibit at the Adler Planetarium.
The character Buzz Lightyear in the movie Toy Story is inspired by Aldrin.
Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space is a game about the space race, where the player leads the R&D and Engineering of a Rocket, with the goal of taking the man to the moon.
Aldrin was the among the first to walk on the Grand Canyon Skywalk; he was a special guest invited to the opening ceremony by the Hualapai on March 20, 2007. The Skywalk was opened to public on 28 March 2007.

[edit] Aldrin in the movies

Cliff Robertson played Aldrin in the 1976 TV-movie Return to Earth based on Aldrin's own memoir. Aldrin was portrayed by Larry Williams in the 1995 film Apollo 13. In the 1996 TV movie Apollo 11 he was played by Xander Berkeley, who had previously played the small role of Henry Hurt in Apollo 13. In the 1998 miniseries From the Earth to the Moon Aldrin was played by Bryan Cranston. On December 26, 2006, Channel 4 Television in the UK transmitted a 50 minute opera by British Composer Jonathan Dove called Man on the Moon, especially made for television. It tells the story of Aldrin's trip to the moon interleaved with the effects the experience had on him and his marriage. Aldrin was played by Nathan Gunn, and Joan Aldrin by Patricia Racette.

[edit] References

^ Hansen, James R. (2005). First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong. Simon & Schuster, 348. "Buzz Aldrin's birthplace has frequently been given to be Montclair, New Jersey. In fact, he was born on the Glen Ridge wing of a hospital whose central body rested in Montclair. His birth certificate lists Glen Ridge as his birthplace."
^ Astronauts and the BSA. Fact sheet. Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved on March 20, 2006.
^ NASA Ask an Astrobiologist.
^ Daily Record Article.
^ Site containing a transcript of the UFO segment of the Untold Story documentary.
^ A link to The Science Channel scheduling info for cited documentary containing Buzz's UFO comments.
^ Chaikin, Andrew. A Man On The Moon.
^ ("First on the Moon — A Voyage with Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr", written with Gene Farmer and Dora Jane Hamblin, epilogue by Arthur C. Clarke, Michael Joseph Ltd, London (1970), page 251).
^ Personnel Announcements - August 22, 2001 White House Press Release naming the Presidential Appointees for the commission.
^ [1] - This sources states he was appointed in 2001, although according to the August 22, 2001 Press Release, it was 2001
^ Buzz Aldrin Punches Bart Sibrel. Video. YouTube.com. Retrieved on May 6, 2006.
^ ^a ^b ^c Cernan, Eugene; Don Davis (1999). The Last Man on the Moon. New York, NY: St. Martin's Griffin.