Buzz Aldrin
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225983781
2008-07-16T09:26:42Z
Ashmoo
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/* The UFO and Apollo hoax allegations */
{{Infobox Astronaut
| name = Buzz Aldrin
| image = Aldrin.jpg
| type = Astronaut
| status = Retired
| nationality = [[United States|American]]
| date_birth = {{birth date and age|1930|01|20}}
| place_birth = [[Glen Ridge, New Jersey|Glen Ridge]], [[New Jersey]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| occupation = [[Fighter pilot]]
| rank = [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]], [[USAF]]
| selection = [[List of astronauts by selection#1963|1963 NASA Group]]
| time = 12 days, 1 hour and 52 minutes
| mission = [[Gemini 12]], [[Apollo 11]]
| insignia = <center>[[Image:Gemini 12 insignia.png|40px]] [[Image:Apollo 11 insignia.png|40px]]</center>
}}
'''Buzz Aldrin''' (born '''Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.''', [[January 20]], [[1930]] in [[Glen Ridge, New Jersey|Glen Ridge]], [[New Jersey]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[aviator]] and [[astronaut]], who was the [[Lunar Module]] Pilot on ''[[Apollo 11]]'', the first lunar landing. He was the second man to set foot on the [[Moon]], after Mission Commander [[Neil Armstrong]].
==Biography==
Aldrin was born to Marion (nee Moon)<ref>[http://www.buzzaldrin.com/about/full/index.html BuzzAldrin.com - About Buzz Aldrin]</ref> and Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Sr., a military man in [[Montclair, New Jersey]],<ref>{{cite book | last = Hansen | first = James R. | title = First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong | publisher = Simon & Schuster | date = 2005 | pages = 348}}"Buzz Aldrin's birthplace has frequently been given to be [[Montclair, New Jersey]]. In fact, he was born on the Glen Ridge wing of a hospital whose central body rested in Montclair. His birth certificate lists Glen Ridge as his birthplace."</ref> where he became a Tenderfoot in the [[Boy Scouts of America]].<ref name="astro-bsa">{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | url =http://www.scouting.org/Media/FactSheets/02-558.aspx | title =Astronauts and the BSA | format = | work =Fact sheet | publisher =Boy Scouts of America | accessdate =2006-03-20}}</ref> He attended [[Montclair High School (New Jersey)|Montclair High School]] in [[Montclair, New Jersey]], and graduated from the [[United States Military Academy|U.S. Military Academy]] at [[West Point, New York|West Point]]. The nickname "Buzz" originated in childhood: his sister mispronounced "brother" as "buzzer" as a toddler, and this was shortened to Buzz. He made it his legal first name in 1988.<ref name="BuzzFAQ">{{citation|url=http://www.buzzaldrin.com/about/faq/|title=BuzzAldrin.com - About Buzz Aldrin: FAQ|accessdate=2008-06-09}}</ref><ref>[http://encarta.msn.com/media_461577285/Buzz_Aldrin_Quick_Facts.html Buzz Aldrin Quick Facts - Quick Facts - MSN Encarta<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===Military career===
[[Image:Buzz Aldrin black and white dress uniform photo portrait.jpg|thumb|left|Buzz Aldrin in dress uniform]]
Aldrin graduated third in his class in 1951 from [[West Point]] with a [[Bachelor of Science|B.Sc.]] degree. He was [[Commissioned officer|commissioned]] as a [[Second Lieutenant#United States|Second Lieutenant]] and served as a jet fighter pilot in the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] during the [[Korean War]], where he flew 66 combat missions in [[F-86 Sabre]]s and shot down two [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15]] aircraft.
After leaving [[Korea]], Aldrin was an [[Air gunner|aerial gunnery]] instructor at [[Nellis Air Force Base]] in southern [[Nevada]], and later an aide to the dean of faculty at the [[United States Air Force Academy|U.S. Air Force Academy]].
Following this assignment, Aldrin flew [[F-100 Super Sabre]]s as a flight commander at [[Bitburg]], [[Germany]] in the 22nd Fighter Squadron.
Aldrin earned his [[Doctor of Science|D.Sc.]] degree in [[Astronautics]] from [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT) in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]]. His [[Thesis|graduate thesis]] was ''[https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/1721.1/12652/1/28555330.pdf Line-of-sight guidance techniques for manned orbital rendezvous]''. After leaving MIT, he returned to the Air Force and was assigned to the [[Gemini Target Office]] of the [[Air Force Space Systems Division]] in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], and later to [[Edwards Air Force Base]] at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School.
[[Image:Aldrin Apollo 11.jpg|thumb|Aldrin walks on the surface of the Moon during ''Apollo 11''.]]
Aldrin was selected as part of the [[Astronaut Group 3|third group]] of [[NASA]] astronauts in October 1963. After the deaths of the original ''Gemini 9'' prime crew, [[Elliott See]] and [[Charles Bassett]], Aldrin was promoted to back-up crew for the mission. The main objective of the revised mission (''[[Gemini 9A]]'') was to rendezvous and dock with a target vehicle, but when this failed, Aldrin improvised an effective exercise for the craft to rendezvous with a co-ordinate in space. He was confirmed as pilot on ''[[Gemini 12]]'', the last Gemini mission and the last chance to prove methods for [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVA]]. He utilized revolutionary techniques during training for that mission, including neutrally-buoyant underwater training. Such techniques are still used today. Aldrin set a record for extra-vehicular activity and proved that astronauts could work outside the spacecraft.
[[Image:Apollo 11 bootprint.jpg|left|thumb|Aldrin's lunar footprint in a photo taken by him, July 20, 1969.]]
Much has been said about Aldrin's desire at the time to be the first astronaut to walk on the moon.<ref>Expeditions to the Moon, chapter 8, p. 7.</ref><!--much has been written--like where? I pulled stuff from armstrong piece.--> Differing NASA accounts have it that he had originally been proposed as the first, but the configuration of the [[Apollo Lunar Module|lunar module]] was changed, or that protocol demanded that the commander (Armstrong) be the first. (In addition, in a March 1969 meeting between senior NASA personnel [[Deke Slayton]], [[George Low]], [[Bob Gilruth]], and [[Chris Kraft]], it was suggested that Armstrong be the first partly because Armstrong was seen as not having a large ego.)<ref>Hansen, chapter 25.</ref> Nonetheless, Aldrin may have had an even more singular contribution. Armstrong's famous "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed," were the first words intentionally spoken to Mission Control and the world from the lunar surface. However, the actual first words ever spoken on the moon, at approximately 20:17:39 [[Universal Coordinated Time|UTC]] on [[July 20]] [[1969]], were very likely Aldrin's "Okay. Engine Stop" (although Armstrong leaves open whether he said "Shutdown" first.)<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.history.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11.landing.html |last=Jones | title=The First Lunar Landing, time 1:02:45| accessdate=2007-11-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/mission_trans/apollo11.htm| title=Mission Transcripts, Apollo 11 AS11 PA0.pdf| accessdate=2007-11-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11transcript_pao.htm| title=Apollo 11 Mission Commentary 7-20-69 CDT 15:15 - GET 102:43 - TAPE 307/1}}</ref>
Aldrin is a [[Presbyterian Church USA|Presbyterian]], and is known for his statements about God. After landing on the moon, Aldrin radioed earth with these words: "I'd like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours, and to give thanks in his or her own way." He received [[Communion]] on the surface of the moon, but kept his Communion a secret because of the lawsuit brought by [[Madalyn Murray O'Hair]] regarding the reading of ''[[Genesis]]'' on [[Apollo 8]].<ref>Chaikin, Andrew. ''A Man On The Moon''. p 204</ref> Aldrin, a church elder, used a pastor's home Communion kit given to him by [[Dean Woodruff]] and recited words used by his pastor at Webster Presbyterian Church. He celebrated Communion alone, without his colleague Armstrong participating.<ref>("First on the Moon — A Voyage with Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr", written with Gene Farmer and Dora Jane Hamblin, epilogue by Arthur C. Clarke, Michael Joseph Ltd, London (1970), page 251).</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = http://blog.wired.com/tableofmalcontents/2007/01/sundance_2007_b_1.html|publisher = Wired|title = Sundance 2007: Buzz Aldrin Speaks|date = [[2007-01-24]]|last = Hillner|first = Jennifer|accessdate = 2007-05-07|work = Table of Malcontents - Wired Blogs}}</ref>
===Retirement===
In March 1972, Aldrin retired from active duty after 21 years of service, and returned to the Air Force in a managerial role, but his career was blighted by personal problems. His <!--must have date in text here-->autobiography ''Return to Earth'' provides an account of his struggles with [[clinical depression]] and [[alcoholism]] in the years following his NASA career. His life improved considerably with his marriage to Lois Aldrin. Since retiring from NASA, he has continued to promote space exploration, including producing a unique computer strategy game called "[[Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space]]" (1992).
===The UFO and Apollo hoax allegations===
In 2005, while being interviewed for a documentary entitled ''First on the Moon: The Untold Story'', Aldrin told an interviewer that they saw an [[unidentified flying object]]. Aldrin told David Morrison, an NAI Senior Scientist, that the documentary cut the crew's conclusion <!--see my query above-->that they were probably seeing one of four detached spacecraft adapter panels.
The crew were told that their [[S-IVB]] upper stage was 6,000 miles away. However, the panels were jettisoned before the S-IVB made its separation maneuver, so this panel would closely follow the Apollo 11 spacecraft until its first midcourse correction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://history.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/A11_MissionOpReport.pdf|title=Apollo 11 Mission Op Report}}</ref>
When Aldrin appeared on ''[[The Howard Stern Show]]'' on [[August 15]], [[2007]], [[Howard Stern|Stern]] asked him about the supposed UFO sighting. Aldrin confirmed that there was no such sighting of anything deemed extraterrestrial, and said they were and are "99.9 percent" sure that the object was the detached panel.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/astrobio/astrobio_detail.cfm?ID=1568|title=NASA Ask an Astrobiologist}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17435592&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=man-on-moon--we-saw-a-ufo--name_page.html |title=Daily Record Article}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ufoevidence.org/cases/case592.htm |title=Site containing a transcript of the UFO segment of the Untold Story documentary}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://science.discovery.com/tvlistings/episode.jsp?episode=0&cpi=115678&gid=0&channel=SCI |title=A link to The Science Channel scheduling info for cited documentary containing Aldrin's UFO comments}}</ref> On [[August 4]] [[2007]], during his appearance on ''[[Larry King Live]]'', Aldrin said he "saw a light moving which was not a star" after they witnessed the "upper stage rocket make a maneuver which missed the moon." Houston had told them the upper stage was 6,000 miles away. A graph he was displayed, indicating where the panels would be, which was not near the Apollo modules.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np45b2Xt-Ww|title=Larry King Live UFO Report}}</ref>
On [[September 9]], [[2002]], filmmaker [[Bart Sibrel]], a proponent of the [[Apollo moon landing hoax]] theory, confronted Aldrin outside a [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]], [[California]] hotel. Sibrel called Aldrin "a coward, a liar, and a thief," saying "You're the one who said you walked on the moon and you didn't." Aldrin punched Sibrel in the face.<ref name="aldrin-punch">{{cite web |url= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcoyiJdeWT4 |title=Buzz Aldrin punches journalist in the face |format=video |publisher= [[You Tube]] |accessdate =2008-03-09}}</ref> Beverly Hills police and the city's prosecutor declined to file charges. Sibrel suffered no permanent injuries.
==Honors and roles in the arts==
{{prose|date=June 2008}}
*The [[Aldrin crater]] on the Moon near the ''Apollo 11'' landing site is named in his honor.
*In 1967, Aldrin received an Honorary Doctorate of Science from [[Gustavus Adolphus College]].
*In 2001, [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] appointed Aldrin to the [[Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry]].<ref>[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/08/20010822-6.html Personnel Announcements] - August 22, 2001 White House Press Release naming the Presidential Appointees for the commission.</ref><ref>[http://www.buzzaldrin.com/space/reports/] - This sources states he was appointed in 2002, although according to the August 22, 2001 Press Release, it was 2001.</ref>
*Aldrin received the 2003 Humanitarian Award from [[Variety, the Children's Charity]], which, according to the organization, "is given to an individual who has shown unusual understanding, empathy, and devotion to mankind."<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.varietychildrenscharity.org/about_variety/humanitarian_awards.php|title = Variety International Humanitarian Awards|publisher = Variety, the Children's Charity|accessdate =2007-05-07}}</ref>
*Aldrin is on the [[National Space Society]]'s Board of Governors, and has served as the organization's Chairman; an inductee of the [[Astronaut Hall of Fame]]; and a member of [[Planetary Society|The Planetary Society]], with Aldrin's pre-recorded voice appearing on nearly every episode of the Society's ''[[Planetary Radio]]''.
*Aldrin has appeared in numerous film and television productions.
*The British television comedy group [[Monty Python]], on [[October 20]] 1970, ran an episode called the "Buzz Aldrin Show" with a few references to him and his photo superimposed over the credits while [[The Star-Spangled Banner]] was played.
*[[Cliff Robertson]] played Aldrin in the 1976 TV-movie ''Return to Earth'' based on Aldrin's own memoir.
*He voiced an animation of himself in [[Deep Space Homer|"Deep Space Homer"]], a 1994 episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' in which he flies into space with [[Homer Simpson]] and fictional astronaut Race Banyon.
*Aldrin was portrayed by [[Larry Williams (actor)|Larry Williams]] in the 1995 film ''[[Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13]]''.
*Aldrin played the role of Reverend Woodruff in the 1996 TV movie ''[[Apollo 11 (film)|Apollo 11]]''<!--this is an entire film on Apollo 11... I would like to know at least 2 words on "Reverend Woodruff" character. But maybe that's just me.-->, while his own character was played by [[Xander Berkeley]], who had previously played the small role of Henry Hurt in ''Apollo 13''.
*The matter of who would make the first step on the moon was dramatized in the 1998 miniseries ''[[From the Earth to the Moon (HBO)|From the Earth to the Moon]]'', based on [[Andrew Chaikin]]'s book ''[[A Man on the Moon]]'', in which Aldrin was portrayed by [[Bryan Cranston]].
*[[Buzz Lightyear]], a character in the movie ''[[Toy Story]]'', is named after him.
*Aldrin voiced himself in a 1999 episode of ''[[Disney's Recess]]''.
[[Image:Aldrin near Module leg.jpg|thumb|Aldrin near module leg]]
*Aldrin collaborated with [[science fiction]] author [[John Barnes (author)|John Barnes]] to write ''[[Encounter With Tiber]]'' and ''[[The Return (2000 novel)|The Return]]''.
*He appeared in a 2003 interview with [[Ali G]] in the [[United Kingdom|British]] comedy series ''Ali G in da USA'', during which Ali G referred to him as [[Buzz Lightyear]] and asked him if he thought man would ever walk on the sun.
*In 2005, through [[Flatsigned press|Flatsigned Press]], Aldrin released two signed limited edition books, ''Men From Earth'' and ''Encounter With Tiber''.
*In a 2006 episode of ''[[NUMB3RS]]'' entitled "Killer Chat", Aldrin plays himself and is seen at the end escorting Larry from the FBI headquarters on his way to his launch to the International Space Station.
*On [[December 26]] [[2006]], UK TV channel [[Channel 4]] transmitted a 50 minute opera by British composer [[Jonathan Dove]] called ''Man on the Moon'', especially made for television. It tells the story of Aldrin's trip to the moon interleaved with the effects the experience had on him and his marriage. Aldrin was played by [[Nathan Gunn]], and Joan Aldrin by [[Patricia Racette]].
*In 2007, Aldrin participated in the documentary ''[[In the Shadow of the Moon]]''.
*He plays himself in the 3-D animated film ''[[Fly Me to the Moon (film)|Fly Me to the Moon]]''.
*The story of Apollo 11, through the eyes of Aldrin, was recently reimagined as a musical. 'Moon Landing' was written, composed and directed by Stephen Edwards, and performed at [[Derby Playhouse]], and included inventive scenery, including a floating shuttle capsule.
*In 1986, after the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Challenger explosion]], he appeared in the ''[[Punky Brewster]]'' episode "[[List of Punky Brewster episodes#Season 2 (1985-1986)|Accidents Happen]]" as himself to encourage a disheartened Punky to continue pursuing her dream of becoming an astronaut.
* Aldrin is the model for the MTV Video Music Award moonman. <ref name="BuzzFAQ"/>
*[[Psychedelic rock]] band [[Bardo Pond]] released a track called ''Aldrin'' on their [[Lapsed]] LP
*{{HWOF sentence|genre=television||address=[[Hollywood and Vine]]}}
==Media==
Aldrin is one of the astronauts featured in the documentary [[In the Shadow of the Moon]].
{{multi-video start}}
{{multi-video item|filename=A11v 1094228.ogg|title=Buzz Aldrin steps onto the Moon|description=Video from the ''[[Apollo 11]]'' mission|format=[[Ogg]]}}
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==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons|Category:Buzz_Aldrin|Buzz Aldrin}}
*[http://www.buzzaldrin.com/ Official website]
*[http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/aldrin-b.html Buzz Aldrin's Official NASA Biography]
*[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1659730,00.html 10 Questions for Buzz Aldrin] on Time.com (a division of Time Magazine)
*[http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/aldrin_ambassador_of_exploration.html Buzz Aldrin Honored as an Ambassador of Exploration]
*[http://www.phonebookofthemoon.com Pictures of Buzz and Lois Aldrin with Ben Solms and Aimee de Heeren]
*[http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/2076326.html Buzz Aldrin's Roadmap to Mars] (Popular Mechanics, December 2005)
*[http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/545 "Satellite of solitude"] by Buzz Aldrin: an article in which Aldrin describes what it was like to walk on the Moon, ''Cosmos'' science magazine
*[http://men.msn.com/articlees.aspx?cp-documentid=4884951 Buzz Aldrin describes walking on the Moon for MSN.]
*[http://swindlemagazine.com/issueicons2/buzz-aldrin/ "SWINDLE Interview"] SWINDLE Magazine interview with Buzz Aldrin
{{Astronaut Group 3 Footer}}
{{People who have walked on the Moon}}
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|NAME= Aldrin, Buzz
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= [[Astronaut]] [[Fighter pilot]]
|DATE OF BIRTH= [[20 January]] [[1930]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Glen Ridge, New Jersey]], [[United States|U.S.]]
|DATE OF DEATH=
|PLACE OF DEATH=
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldrin, Buzz}}
[[Category:American astronauts]]
[[Category:People who have walked on the Moon]]
[[Category:United States Air Force officers]]
[[Category:American aviators]]
[[Category:American military personnel of the Korean War]]
[[Category:Harmon Trophy winners]]
[[Category:U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Inductees]]
[[Category:United States Military Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:Hollywood Walk of Fame]]
[[Category:People from Montclair, New Jersey]]
[[Category:American Episcopalians]]
[[Category:Americans of Swedish descent]]
[[Category:People with major depressive disorder]]
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
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