Facts about Buzz Aldrin

1. 07

   Two of Aldrin's three children became astronauts themselves, making him one of few space explorers to have multiple astronaut offspring.

   Buzz AldrinMay 14sharespacefamilyachievement
2. 06

   Aldrin has advocated for a cycling program to Mars involving cycler spacecraft that would reduce travel time to the Red Planet by utilizing orbital mechanics rather than traditional direct trajectories.

   Buzz AldrinMay 14sharespaceengineeringmars
3. 05

   Aldrin's 1989 autobiography Men from Earth became a bestseller and detailed his struggles with depression and alcohol addiction following his NASA career.

   Buzz AldrinMay 14sharememoirpsychologyspace
4. 04

   Aldrin's 1966 Gemini 12 spacewalk lasted nearly 5 hours and demonstrated the feasibility of extravehicular activity for the upcoming lunar missions.

   Buzz AldrinMay 14sharespacehistoryachievement
5. 03

   In 2016, at age 86, Aldrin became the oldest person to complete a marathon when he finished the New York Marathon in 5 hours and 54 minutes.

   Buzz AldrinMay 14shareachievementathleticsage
6. 02

   Aldrin earned a doctorate in astronautics from MIT in 1963, with his dissertation focusing on orbital rendezvous techniques.

   Buzz AldrinMay 14shareeducationspaceachievement
7. 01

   During the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, Aldrin became the lunar module pilot and second person to walk on the Moon after Neil Armstrong.

   Buzz AldrinMay 13sharespacehistory1960s