Buzz Aldrin – Nostalgia Central

Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, on 20 January 1930, Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr graduated third in the class of 1951 from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in mechanical engineering.

He was commissioned into the United States Air Force and served as a jet fighter pilot during the Korean War, flying 66 combat missions and shooting down two MiG-15 fighter jets.

After earning a Doctor of Science degree in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Aldrin was selected as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Group 3, making him the first astronaut with a doctoral degree.

His first space flight was in 1966 on Gemini 12 (pictured below), during which he spent over five hours on extravehicular activity (EVA).

Three years later, Aldrin set foot on the Moon on 21 July 1969, nineteen minutes after fellow Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong first touched the surface.

After leaving NASA in 1971, Aldrin became Commandant of the US Air Force Test Pilot School.

He retired from the Air Force in 1972 after 21 years of service. He has been accorded numerous honours, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969.

TRIVIA
His nickname – which became his legal first name in 1988 – arose as a result of his sister Fay’s mispronouncing “brother” as “buzzer”, which was then shortened to “Buzz”.