Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., or more popularly known as Buzz Aldrin, is one of the three people chosen to go on the Apollo 11 mission, alongside his fellow astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins. He was also part of the Gemini 12 crew where Aldrin did the unthinkable and completed a five-hour spacewalk, the longest at that time.
Most of us only know or credit Aldrin as the astronaut who went to the Moon or one of those space guys, but he’s more than that. He did a lot of things that benefited the world as a whole. Heck, he even helped end a war in his own way. Aldrin is not just an astronaut. He’s a decorated military man, instructor, founder, author, husband three times, and an inspiration for generations to come.
If you want to know more about his life, achievements, and struggles, continue reading below.
Buzz’ Formative Years
Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr. was born on January 20, 1930, in New Jersey. When he was still a child and passing gas, he got the nickname “Buzz” which came from his sister mispronouncing the word “brother” as “buzzer”, which was later shortened to “Buzz”. He would eventually decide to legally make Buzz his first name in 1988.
He is the only son of Marion Moon, the daughter of an Army chaplain, and Edwin Eugene Aldrin Sr., a colonel in the US Air Force. After graduating from high school in 1947, he went to West Point Military Academy to prepare for military service and, ultimately, become a pilot. Aldrin adjusted to the rigid regimen without any issues and placed first in his class his first year. He graduated in 1951 with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Time in the Military
Even though he didn’t graduate as first in his class, being third still has its perks. Aldrin had the option to choose where he’s assigned, and without much hesitation, he chose the US Air Force. When he was still deciding what aircraft he should pilot, his father proposed he go with bombers since supervising a bomber crew will give him the opportunity to sharpen his leadership skills which could create an opening for career advancements.
Contrary to his father’s suggestion, Aldrin decided that he would fly fighters. To his credit, choosing to fly fighters gave him the chance to become a decorated military man for his accomplishments during the Korean War.
Wartime Buzz
The following year, Aldrin was assigned to the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing in South Korea in the midst of the Korean War. During his time there, he completed 66 combat missions while operating F-86 Sabres, his preferred fighter jet.
His wing proved to be integral and was responsible for setting a record for the number of enemy “kills” with 61 shot down MiGs and 57 grounded planes within one month of combat. Aldrin’s contributed to the record by shooting down 2 MiGs, which prompted him to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Post-Korea
After the war between North and South Korea had subsided, Aldrin finished his year-long tour in December 1953 and went back to the US. In 1959, He decided he wanted to get a master’s degree, so with the help of the Air Force Institute of Technology, Aldrin enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He ended up enjoying the classwork so much that he eventually chose to pursue a doctorate instead. He graduated in 1963 and earned a Doctor of Science degree in astronautics. His thesis was Line-of-Sight Guidance Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous, a study of bringing manned spacecraft near each other.
If you’ve been attending your online classes, then you know what happened next. He was included in a select group by NASA to pioneer space flight, assigned as crew for the Gemini missions, was designated to the Apollo program as backup, and then was tasked to go collect moon rocks on the surface of the Moon with Armstrong and Collins in Apollo 11.
…And Beyond
After more than two decades of flying and spacewalking, Aldrin retired from active duty in March 1972. In the years following his retirement from NASA, he suffered from clinical depression and turned to alcoholism. With encouragement from his therapist, he tried being normal and worked as a car salesman, which he didn’t do for long.
He shared his suffering with everyone in his autobiographies, Return to Earth (1973) and Magnificent Desolation (2009). There was only one insurance for Buzz, and that is he loved space. To keep his mind from things, he focused his attention on studying advancements in space travel technology. He was also an advocate of Mars travel. Aldrin later founded ShareSpace Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the growth of space education, exploration, and low-cost space flight.
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