HEROES OF SPACE
EDWIN EUGENE “BUZZ” ALDRIN
Serving as the Lunar Module pilot, the US astronaut was the second person on the Moon
Aldrin was the second human to set foot on the Moon because NASA felt Armstrong’s seniority meant he should go first
© NASA
Aldrin was born on 20 January 1930 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. During his childhood he didn’t display any great interest in space. He was intrigued by science fiction – Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon in particular – but he didn’t look towards the night sky with a great desire to explore. Growing up in Montclair, New Jersey, Aldrin was a bright and athletic child. He graduated from Montclair High School a year early, and in 1947 he enrolled at the United States Military Academy, also known as West Point, where he gained a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering. Joining the United States Air Force, he served with distinction as a jet fighter pilot during the Korean War, which raged between 1950 and 1953.