Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin

An engineer and fighter pilot in the Korean War, Dr. Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin was selected in NASA’s third astronaut class and went to space on Gemini XII before becoming the lunar module pilot for Apollo 11 and landing on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

Quick Facts

Aldrin was a member of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963.

👁 Aldrin was a member of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963.

Aldrin logged almost 290 hours in space, including the almost 8 hours of spacewalks, before he resigned from NASA in July 1971.

👁 Aldrin logged almost 290 hours in space, including the almost 8 hours of spacewalks, before he resigned from NASA in July 1971.

Aldrin earned a Ph.D. in Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

👁 Aldrin earned a Ph.D. in Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Aldrin received the Presidential Medal for Freedom in 1969.

👁 Aldrin received the Presidential Medal for Freedom in 1969.

Aldrin followed Neil Armstrong onto the lunar surface on July 20, 1969, completing a 2-hour and 15 minute lunar EVA.

👁 Aldrin followed Neil Armstrong onto the lunar surface on July 20, 1969, completing a 2-hour and 15 minute lunar EVA.

👁 Image

S69-31743 (July 1969) — Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. EDITOR’S NOTE: Aldrin was lunar module pilot of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission.

👁 NASA portrait of Buzz Aldrin

S63-20056 (1963) — Astronaut Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. in civilian clothes.

👁 Buzz Aldrin trains for zero gravity

S69-39269 (10 July 1969) — Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., lunar module pilot of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, undergoes zero-gravity training aboard a U.S. Air Force KC-135 jet aircraft from nearby Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. Aldrin is wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), the type of equipment which he will wear on the lunar surface.

👁 Apollo 11 crew members (L-R) Edwin Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins answer questions during a press conference

Apollo 11 crew members (L-R) Edwin Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Michael Collins were amused by a question posed during a closed circuit press conference the night before they began their historic first lunar landing mission. The press conference with questions via intercom, was held under semi-isolation conditions to avoid exposing the astronauts to possible illness at the last minute. The Apollo 11 mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida via the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed Saturn V launch vehicle on July 16, 1969 and safely returned to Earth on July 24, 1969. Aboard the space craft were astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, commander; Michael Collins, Command Module (CM) pilot; and Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module (LM) pilot. The CM, “Columbia”, piloted by Collins, remained in a parking orbit around the Moon while the LM, “Eagle’’, carrying astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin, landed on the Moon. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong was the first human to ever stand on the lunar surface, followed by Aldrin. During 2½ hours of surface exploration, the crew collected 47 pounds of lunar surface material for analysis back on Earth. With the success of Apollo 11, the national objective to land men on the Moon and return them safely to Earth had been accomplished.

👁 Buzz Aldrin's spacewalk on the Gemini 12 mission. The Earth can be seen behind him.

S66-62926 (12 Nov. 1966) — Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., pilot of the Gemini-12 spaceflight, is photographed with pilot’s hatch of the spacecraft open. Note: J.A. Maurer camera which was used to photograph some of his extravehicular activity (EVA). Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr. was the command pilot.

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