What Happened to Buzz Aldrin?

Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., widely known as Buzz Aldrin, was born on January 20, 1930, in Montclair, New Jersey. His early life was marked by academic and athletic excellence, culminating in his graduation third in his class from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1951 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He then served as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, flying 66 combat missions during the Korean War and shooting down two MiG-15 jets, earning him two Distinguished Flying Crosses. Aldrin later earned a Ph.D. in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1963, focusing on orbital mechanics, which earned him the nickname 'Dr. Rendezvous.'

Aldrin's career as an astronaut began when he was selected by NASA in 1963. His first spaceflight was in November 1966 aboard Gemini 12, where he performed three spacewalks totaling a record 5.5 hours, proving that astronauts could effectively work outside a spacecraft. This mission was crucial preparation for the Apollo program. His most historic achievement came on July 20, 1969, as the Lunar Module Eagle pilot on Apollo 11. Nineteen minutes after Neil Armstrong, Aldrin became the second human to walk on the Moon, famously describing the lunar surface as 'magnificent desolation.' He also conducted the first religious ceremony on the Moon, privately taking communion.

After leaving NASA in 1971 and retiring from the Air Force in 1972 as a Brigadier General, Aldrin faced personal struggles with clinical depression and alcoholism, which he candidly documented in his autobiographies, 'Return to Earth' (1973) and 'Magnificent Desolation' (2009). Despite these challenges, he remained a passionate advocate for space exploration, particularly championing human missions to Mars and developing concepts like the 'Aldrin cycler' for efficient interplanetary travel. He legally changed his name to Buzz Aldrin in 1988.

In his later years, Aldrin has continued to inspire future generations through the Aldrin Family Foundation, which he founded in the 1990s. The foundation focuses on K-12 STEAM-based educational tools and programs, such as the Giant Moon Map™ and the Student Satellites in Space (S-Cubed) program. As of 2026, the foundation is actively expanding its S-Cubed program in Texas with a significant grant. On January 20, 2023, his 93rd birthday, Aldrin married his longtime partner, Dr. Anca Faur, in a private ceremony in Los Angeles. In January 2026, at the age of 96, Aldrin was reported to have relocated to a new condominium in Los Angeles, closer to family, following concerns about his previous living conditions. He also selected Elon Musk to receive the Dr. Buzz Aldrin Space Advancement Award in January 2026. Aldrin is the last surviving crew member of Apollo 11 and continues to make public appearances, with one scheduled for November 2026.