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Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient
Col. Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr.
Apollo 11 crewmen Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., took their first historic steps on the moon on July 20, 1969. Armstrong is shown here stepping off the lunar module (LM). Aldrin followed him 20 minutes later. During their 2 hours 31 minutes outside the LM, the two men planted the United States flag, collected 22 kg (49 lb) of lunar rocks and soil, and deployed scientific equipment to study the solar wind and measure seismic tremors in the moon's interior and on its surface.
COL. EDWIN E. ALDRIN, JR.
Awarded by
President Richard M. Nixon
August 13, 1969
As a member of the crew of the United States Spacecraft Apollo Eleven, he participated directly in a unique and profoundly important adventure. The accumulated scientific knowledge and technological ability of mankind made man's first step on the moon practicable; the courage and skill of men like Col. Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. made it possible. His contribution to this great undertaking will be remembered so long as men wonder and dream and search for truth on this planet and among the stars.
 NAME: Buzz Aldrin, Ph.D. (Colonel, USAF, Ret.)
NASA Astronaut (former)
PERSONAL DATA: Born January 20, 1930, in Montclair, New Jersey. Two sons, one daughter. Married to the former Lois Driggs Cannon of Phoenix. Their combined family is comprised of six grown children and one grandson.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Montclair High School, Montclair, New Jersey; received a bachelor of science degree in 1951 from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, graduating third in his class; and a doctorate of science in Astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. His thesis was "Guidance for Manned Orbital Rendezvous." Aldrin has honorary degrees from six colleges and universities.
SPECIAL HONORS: Aldrin has received numerous decorations and awards, including the Presidential Medal for Freedom in 1969, the Robert J. Collier Trophy, the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy, and the Harmon International Trophy in 1967.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Aldrin was one of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963.
On November 11, 1966, he and command pilot James Lovell were launched into space in the Gemini 12 spacecraft on a 4-day flight, which brought the Gemini program to a successful close. Aldrin established a new record for extravehicular activity (EVA), spending 5-1/2 hours outside the spacecraft.
He served as lunar module pilot for Apollo 11, July 16-24, 1969, the first manned lunar landing mission. Aldrin followed Neil Armstrong onto the lunar surface on July 20, 1969, completing a 2-hour and 15 minute lunar EVA.
In July 1971, Aldrin resigned from NASA. Aldrin has logged 289 hours and 53 minutes in space, of which, 7 hours and 52 minutes were spent in EVA.
EXPERIENCE: Prior to joining NASA, Aldrin flew 66 combat missions in F-86's while on duty in Korea. At Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, he served as an aerial gunnery instructor. Following his assignment as aide to the dean of faculty at the Air Force Academy, Aldrin flew F-100's as a flight commander at Bitburg, Germany. He went on to receive a doctorate at MIT, and was then assigned to the Gemini Target Office of the Air Force Space Systems Division, Los Angeles. In March 1972, Aldrin retired from Air Force active duty, after 21 years of service. As a USAF jet fighter pilot during the Korean War, he shot down two MIG 15 aircraft.
Since retiring from NASA, the Air Force, and his position as commander of the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in 1972, he authored an autobiography, "Return to Earth". Aldrin has remained at the forefront of efforts to ensure a continued leading role for America in manned space exploration to advance his life-long commitment to venturing outward in space.
In addition, he lectures throughout the world on his unique perspective of America's future in space. He has just authored a book about the Apollo Program titled "Men from Earth".
Dr. Aldrin is President of Starcraft Enterprise, Laguna Beach, California.
Apollo 11 Astronauts at New York City Hall
L-R: Astronauts Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin with their medals alongside the Mayor of NYC, J. Lindsay and Thomas Paine, NASA administrator, after a parade that started from Grand Central Station. August 14, 1969
Aldrin, Edwin Eugene, Jr. (1930- ), United States astronaut, aerospace engineer, author, and pilot, known by the childhood nickname Buzz. On July 20, 1969, Aldrin became the second human being to set foot on the moon. He served as the pilot of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, the capsule that descended to the surface of the moon (see Apollo program). Aldrin also flew into space during the Gemini program (a precursor to the Apollo program) and is one of the world’s leading advocates of space exploration. He has more than 4500 hours of flying time, including 290 hours of spaceflight and 8 hours in space outside of the spacecraft. He is the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and numerous other U.S. and international awards.
Buzz Aldrin was born in Montclair, New Jersey. He earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1951. He entered the U.S. Air Force after graduating from West Point and earned his air force pilot’s wings in 1952. He served as a combat jet pilot during the Korean War (1950-1953). Aldrin temporarily left flying in 1959 to enter graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He planned to complete a master’s degree and then apply for test pilot school, but he instead earned a Ph.D. degree in aeronautics and astronautics in 1963. His thesis subject was the study of piloted rendezvous (bringing piloted spacecraft into close proximity with each other). His thesis dedication reads, “The men in the astronaut program. Oh that I were one of them.” Techniques he devised are used on all space rendezvous and docking flights.
After leaving MIT, Aldrin was assigned to the air force’s space division in Los Angeles, California. Later in 1963 he transferred to the Manned Space Center (now the Johnson Space Center) in Houston, Texas, to work more closely with experiments slated for missions aboard the spacecraft of the Gemini program. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) accepted Aldrin into its third group of astronauts in October 1963. He was the first astronaut with a Ph.D. degree and quickly earned the nickname “Dr. Rendezvous.”
In 1966 Aldrin and astronaut Jim Lovell were assigned to the backup crew of Gemini 10. When the prime crew for Gemini 9, Charles Bassett and Elliott See, were killed in an airplane crash in 1966, the crews were rearranged so that Aldrin and Lovell were scheduled to fly aboard Gemini 12. Gemini 12 flew from November 11 to November 15, 1966. Aldrin’s two-hour spacewalk on the flight was the longest and most successful spacewalk ever done to that time. His rendezvous abilities were also put to use: He manually recomputed all the rendezvous maneuvers after the on-board radar failed. After Gemini 12, Aldrin was assigned to the backup crew of Apollo 8 with Neil Armstrong and Harrison “Jack” Schmitt. Aldrin was closely involved with Apollo 9 rendezvous flight tests, the first flight in which two astronauts in a Lunar Module separated from the third astronaut in the Command and Service Module. The Lunar Module of the Apollo spacecraft could not reenter the earth’s atmosphere, so rendezvous and docking were operations that were critical to the life of the two astronauts in the Lunar Module.
Apollo 11 launched on July 16, 1969, carrying Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Mike Collins. On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin joined Neil Armstrong on the surface of the moon for a spacewalk that lasted 2 hours 14 minutes. (Armstrong’s spacewalk time was a little longer, since he exited the spacecraft first and reentered last.)
After Apollo 11 and the worldwide whirlwind of publicity and visits, Aldrin worked briefly on the space shuttle program and then decided to resume his air force career. In 1971 he became the commander of the Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in Lancaster, California. He was hospitalized for depression within a year and retired from the air force in 1972. By 1984 he was once again fully engaged in space activities, working to ensure continued piloted space exploration through writing, public speaking, and the design of innovative new spacecraft systems for missions to Mars. Among his books are Return to the Earth (1973), a candid account of his Apollo experiences and his subsequent breakdown. He has taught aerospace engineering at the University of North Dakota, served as chairperson of the National Space Society, and written numerous books and articles. He now lectures and travels for his company, Starcraft Enterprises.
"Aldrin, Edwin Eugene, Jr.," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2004
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
"We feel this stands as a symbol of the insatiable curiosity of all mankind to explore the unknown." Astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.
24.07.69 11:40
U.S. Navy swimmer and Apollo astronauts after splashdown 930 miles SW of Hawaii.
Apollo 11 NASA Image Gallery
NASA Links About Apollo - Apollo 11 30th Anniversary Exhibit : An excellent site with documents, images, movies, and historical commentary.
- The Flights of Apollo : Information about each mission in the Apollo program.
- Apollo Program Overview at the Kennedy Space Center : A fine collection of materials relating to each Apollo mission, including an impressive collection of images.
- Apollo Press Kits placed on-line in .pdf format by the Kennedy Space Center.
- Apollo Lunar Surface Journal : An excellent site containing the transcripts of all the transmissions between Earth and the Moon while the astronauts were on the surface.
- Apollo 13 Detailed Chronology
- Apollo 15 Flight Journal : A splendid companion to the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, this evolving site contains the air-to-ground transcript of this trip to the Moon, accompanied by detailed technical commentary.
- On the Moon with Apollo 16: A Guidebook to the Descartes Region: This guidebook contains many photographs and diagrams of the Descartes region and the equipment used on Apollo 16 for research and exploration and also explains the importance of scientific research in the region.
- Lunar Exploration Times, 1959-1976 : An outstanding chronology concerning missions to the Moon conducted by both the United States and the Soviet Union. Includes not only the Apollo flights but also the satellite probes sent to the Moon.
- Apollo 1 (204) : A special exhibit about the Apollo 1 (204 Capsule Fire) that took place on January 27, 1967.
- The Decision to Go to the Moon: President John F. Kennedy's May 25, 1961 Speech before a Joint Session of Congress, initiating Project Apollo
- The Apollo Program Summary Report (Document # JSC-09423, April 1975) This hard-to-find document is an extremely useful overview of Apollo with details on the spacecraft, launch vehicles, scientific results, and so forth.
- Report of the Apollo 13 Review Board (a.k.a. the Cortright Commission) : This is the report issued after the Apollo 13 accident which prevented the mission from landing on the moon and nearly cost the lives of the astronauts involved.
- A Historic Meeting at the White House about Human Spaceflight involving President Kennedy and NASA Administrator James Webb on November 20, 1962.
- Apollo Audio and Video Segments from NASA's Fortieth Anniversary.
Non-NASA Links About Apollo - Apollo and the Smithsonian Institution : An interesting exhibit about Project Apollo created by the National Air and Space Museum.
- Boeing Celebrates the 30th Anniversary of Apollo 11 : A site about Boeing North American (the former Rockwell aerospace units) and McDonnell Douglas, and there roles in helping to make possible the first Moon landing.
- The Apollo Mode Decision : A good private site at Clemson University on the debate over the method of flying to the Moon with Project Apollo.
- "To the Moon" the companion Web site to the two-hour NOVA special that chronicles the untold science and engineering story of how we got to the moon. The program will be broadcast on PBS at 8 pm on July 13,1999.
- Apollo@30: The National Space Society's Web page devoted to the 30th anniversary of Apollo 11.
- "Washington Goes to the Moon" : A two-part radio program that deals with the political story of the acquiring and sustaining of support of the Apollo lunar landing program in the 1960s. Produced by WAMU-FM, the public radio station of the American University in Washington, D.C., the show's web site also has transcripts of the two programs, on-line documents, and transcripts of interviews with key personnel.
- Apollo at American Samoa : Some interesting information about the Apollo missions that landed near and then passed through American Samoa.
- Apollo Saturn Reference Page : Detailed technical information about the Saturn Launch Vehicles for modelers and space buffs, by a private enthusiast.
- Contact Light: A personal recollection of the Apollo missions to the Moon. This site by a private enthusiast includes some cool video and audio clips, a lunar landing simulator game, and reference tables.
- The Moon Race : Explore timelines for the race to the Moon between the two most powerful nations on the planet. Examine both sides leaders, participants, and technology.
- Where Were You? This web site is dedicated to collecting memories from the various points of view of people who where alive during the historic landing of Apollo 11.
- "One Giant Leap" commemorates the anniversary of Apollo 11 with a visual journey and interesting facts and data.
- Apollo Command Module Earth Entry Dedicated to one of the most critical phases of the Apollo landing, the Earth re-entry.
- First Moon Landing in 1969 marked an entire generation Memories of the first moon landing on July 20, 1969
- Apollo 11 Commentary Contains the complete audio air to ground transmissions in streaming format
- Man In Space: Study of Alternatives This is a National Park Service study to identify possible locations and other components of the national park system that pertain to Apollo.
On-line Books Concerning Project Apollo: - Apollo Expeditions to the Moon (NASA SP-350, 1975)
- Apollo Over the Moon: A View From Orbit (NASA SP-362, 1978).
- The Apollo Spacecraft: A Chronology (NASA SP-4009, 4 volumes, 1969-1978).
- Managing NASA in the Apollo Era (NASA SP-4102, 1982)
- NASA Engineers and the Age of Apollo. (NASA SP-4104,1992).
- Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations (NASA SP-4204, 1978).
- Chariots for Apollo: A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft (NASA SP-4205, 1979).
- Where No Man Has Gone Before: A History of Apollo Lunar Exploration Missions (NASA SP-4214, 1989).
- Unmanned Space Project Management: Surveyor and Lunar Orbiter (NASA SP-4901, 1972).
- Destination Moon: A History of the Lunar Orbiter Program (NASA TM-3487, 1977).
- An Annotated Bibliography of the Apollo Program (Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 2, 1994).
- Apollo: A Retrospective Analysis (Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 3, 1994).
- Enchanted Rendezvous: John C. Houbolt and the Genesis of the Lunar-Orbit Rendezvous Concept (Monographs in Aerospace History, No. 4, 1995).
- Apollo by the Numbers: A Statistical Reference (NASA SP-4029, 2001).
- Biomedical Results of Apollo (NASA SP-368, 1975).
- What Made Apollo A Success? (NASA SP-287, 1971).
- "Before This Decade is Out..." Personal Reflections on the Apollo Program (NASA SP-4223, 1999).
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Medal History
