That brought me to consuming alcohol more and more and, of course, you can't straighten out something in your head unless you have a clear mind. You have to deal with obtaining sobriety first before dealing with other situations that are disturbing you.
Today, I have 37 years of sobriety. If, occasionally, my mind gets the sense that the world around me is not doing what I'd like it to do, I may disappear for a day or even a week. That's something I've needed to deal with. At the time, not in the least. As the senior crew member, it was appropriate for him to be the first. But after years and years of being asked to speak to a group of people and then be introduced as the second man on the moon, it does get a little frustrating.
Is it really necessary to point out to the crowd that somebody else was first when we all went through the same training, we all landed at the same time and all contributed?
But for the rest of my life I'll always be identified as the second man to walk on the moon. No dream is too high. But, of course, going to Mars is much more difficult than going to the moon. It won't happen while I'm alive, unless I can live to He's working very diligently with the Buzz Aldrin Space Institute , which we formed in conjunction with the Florida Institute of Technology. We are developing my plan, which is called Cycling Pathways to Mars.
First, we will have a low-Earth orbit cycler. The second cycler will be a base at the moon that America designs but other countries help build and land. Crews will stay there for six months or a year, then come back to Earth to start to train as the first crew to land on Mars. I believe that within two decades America will lead international crews to land on Mars. I've not had a flawless life. I've had to deal with many changes and challenges. I flew combat missions during the Korean War, lived through the threat of nuclear annihilation, and faced various challenges in the space program and my own life.
Along the way, I discovered that I could contribute by using my innovation to think outside the box, in order to better serve my country. I took an oath to do that when I was 17 years old, and I've continued to be motivated by it, not by financial gain. I'm not driven by what comes back to me. It's the satisfaction of knowing that I'm helping to chart a course for others to bring nations together. That's a very important part of it. I've been spending a lot of time looking for ways to increase our peaceful associations with China, the way we did with the Soviet Union, with a joint mission in space.
We can do that with the Chinese and with other nations in an equal, productive way that is even better than the Apollo program.
What more significant a life could a person ask for? Simon Worrall curates Book Talk. Follow him on Twitter or at simonworrallauthor. All rights reserved. Explore that feeling for us, Buzz. Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city Caracals have learned to hunt around the urban edges of Cape Town, though the predator faces many threats, such as getting hit by cars.
India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country. Go Further. Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr. The son of a U. Air Force colonel, Aldrin became a top student at the U. He was among the first NASA astronauts tapped for the nascent space program, and his historic Apollo 11 mission with Neil Armstrong in was televised to an estimated million viewers.
Aldrin later returned to the Air Force in a managerial role and developed spacecraft systems, writing an autobiography and publishing several additional books. The nickname "Buzz" originated in childhood: his little sister mispronounced the word "brother" as "buzzer. His mother, Marion Moon, was the daughter of an Army chaplain. Air Force. He took well to the discipline and strict regimens, and was the first in his class his freshman year. He graduated was third in his class in with a BS in mechanical engineering.
Aldrin's father felt his son should continue on to multiengine flight school so that he could eventually take charge of his own flight crew, but Buzz wanted to become a fighter pilot. His father relented to his son's wishes, and after a summer of hitching around Europe on military planes, Buzz officially entered the United States Air Force in He again scored near the top of his class in flight school, and began fighter training later that year.
Aldrin's wing was responsible for breaking the enemy "kills" record during combat, when they shot down 61 enemy MiGs and grounded 57 others in one month of combat.
Aldrin shot down two MiGs, and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service during the war. After a cease-fire was declared between North and South Korea in , Aldrin returned home. He returned to school this time, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT where he planned to complete a master's degree and then apply for test pilot school. Instead, he earned a Ph. His thesis subject "Line-of-sight guidance techniques for manned orbital rendezvous" was the study of bringing piloted spacecraft into close proximity with each other.
His specialized study of rendezvous helped to earn him entry into the space program shortly after graduation. In , Aldrin was part of a third group of men selected by NASA to attempt to pioneer space flight. Aldrin was put in charge of creating docking and rendezvous techniques for spacecraft. He also pioneered underwater training techniques, to simulate flight in zero gravity.
For the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, Aldrin served as the lunar module pilot. On July 20, , he made history as the second man to walk on the moon, following mission commander Armstrong, who took the first step on the lunar surface. They spent a total of 21 hours during the moonwalk and returned with 46 pounds of moon rocks. The walk, which was televised, drew an estimated million people to watch, becoming the world's largest television audience in history. Upon their safe return to Earth, Aldrin was decorated with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, followed by a day international goodwill tour.
In March , after 21 years of service, Aldrin retired from active duty and returned to the Air Force in a managerial role. He later revealed in his autobiography, Return to Earth , that he battled depression and alcoholism following his years with NASA, leading to a divorce.
After rediscovering sobriety, Aldrin turned to studying advancements in space technology. He devised a spacecraft system for missions to Mars known as the "Aldrin Mars Cycler," and received three U. He also founded ShareSpace Foundation , a nonprofit organization devoted to advancing space education, exploration and affordable space flight experiences.
Aldrin also continued to give lectures and make television appearances, including competing on Dancing with the Stars in , where he showed the world that a senior astronaut still had some impressive moves.
Additionally, the iconic astronaut collaborated with hip-hop artists Snoop Dogg and Talib Kweli to create the song "Rocket Experience" to promote space exploration to young people. Proceeds from the sale of the song and video, which features music producer Quincy Jones and rapper Soulja Boy, benefit ShareSpace. In November , Aldrin was on a tourist trip to Antarctica when he had to be medically evacuated to be treated at a hospital in New Zealand.
A statement on his website said he was in stable condition with "fluid in his lungs," but in good spirits and responding well to antibiotics. In April , the U. Stories of Aldrin's supposed encounter had served as a touchstone for alien truthers for years, but the man himself squashed the rumors through his spokesperson, calling them "fabrication for the sake of headlines. That June, Aldrin filed a lawsuit against two of his children, Andrew and Jan Aldrin, along with his business manager, Christina Korp, alleging elder and financial exploitation.
The following month, he was a surprise no-show at the Apollo gala that commenced a year-long anniversary of the first moon landing, despite the event being sponsored by ShareSpace.
No reason was initially given for his absence. In his later career, Aldrin became a prolific author. In addition to his first autobiography Return to Earth , he wrote Magnificent Desolation , a memoir that hit bookshelves in — just in time for the 40th anniversary of his historic moon landing.
He has also written several children's books, including Reaching for the Moon , Look to the Stars and Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet ; science-fiction novels including T he Return and Encounter with Tiber , co-authored with John Barnes; and Men from Earth , a historical account of the lunar landing. Aldrin has been married three times. His second wife was Beverly Zile.
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