Buzz Aldrin
1930– · American (New Jersey) · Cold War / Space Age
Known for: Second person to walk on the Moon, MIT PhD who developed orbital docking techniques, and tireless advocate for Mars colonization
Aldrin was a MIT PhD in astronautics who developed the docking techniques used in the Gemini program. As Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, he was the second human to set foot on the Moon, describing the view as 'magnificent desolation.' He privately took communion on the lunar surface.
Unlike Armstrong's silence, Aldrin has been vocal about space exploration for decades. He struggled with depression and alcoholism after returning ('Where do you go after you've been to the Moon?'). He later became a passionate advocate for Mars colonization. At 93, he married his longtime girlfriend. He once punched a Moon-landing conspiracy theorist on camera.
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