Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin was born on January 20, 1930 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He was the second person to walk on the moon, following Neil Armstrong, during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
Aldrin received a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1951 and a Doctorate in Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1963. He served as a pilot in the United States Air Force and was a test pilot for the F-100 and F-106 aircraft.
In 1963, Aldrin was selected to be an astronaut for NASA and flew on the Gemini 12 mission in 1966. He was then chosen to be a part of the Apollo 11 mission, which made history as the first manned lunar landing.
After his time with NASA, Aldrin served as Commandant of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and was a professor at the United States Air Force Academy. He also authored several books, including “Return to Earth” and “Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon.”
Aldrin received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to space exploration, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, and the Congressional Gold Medal.