Buzz Aldrin Edwin Eugene " Buzz " Aldrin Jr . ( born January 20 , 1930 ) is a former American astronaut , and the second person to walk on the Moon . He was the lunar module pilot on " Apollo 11 " , the first manned lunar landing in history . He set foot on the Moon at 03 : 15 : 16 ( UTC ) on July 21 , 1969 , following mission commander Neil Armstrong . He is also a retired United States Air Force pilot . Early life . Aldrin was born in Glen Ridge , New Jersey , to Edwin Eugene Aldrin , Sr . , a career military man , and his wife Marion ( née Moon ) . He is of Scottish , Swedish , and German ancestry . After graduating from Montclair High School in 1946 , Aldrin turned down a full scholarship offer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , and went to the United States Military Academy at West Point , New York . The nickname " Buzz " originated in childhood : the younger of his two elder sisters mispronounced " brother " as " buzzer " , and this was shortened to Buzz . Aldrin made it his legal first name in 1988 . Military career . Buzz Aldrin graduated third in his class at West Point in 1951 , with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering . He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U . S . Air Force and served as a jet fighter pilot during the Korean War . He flew 66 combat missions in F - 86 Sabre s and shot down two Mikoyan - Gurevich MiG - 15 aircraft . The June 8 , 1953 , issue of " Life " magazine featured gun camera photos taken by Aldrin of one of the Russian pilots ejecting from his damaged aircraft . Subsequent to the war , Aldrin was assigned as an aerial gunnery instructor at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada , and next was an aide to the dean of faculty at the United States Air Force Academy , which had recently begun operations in 1955 . He flew F - 100 Super Sabre s as a flight commander at Bitburg Air Base , Germany , in the 22d Fighter Squadron . In 1963 Aldrin earned a doctor of science degree in astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology . His graduate thesis was " Line - of - sight guidance techniques for manned orbital rendezvous " , the dedication of which read , " In the hopes that this work may in some way contribute to their exploration of space , this is dedicated to the crew members of this country ’ s present and future manned space programs . If only I could join them in their exciting endeavors ! " On completion of his doctorate , he was assigned to the Gemini Target Office of the Air Force Space Systems Division in Los Angeles before his selection as an astronaut . His initial application to join the astronaut corps was rejected on the basis of having never been a test pilot ; that prerequisite was lifted when he re - applied and was accepted into the third astronaut class . NASA career . Aldrin was selected as part of the third group of NASA astronauts selected in October 1963 . Because test pilot experience was no longer a requirement , this was the first selection for which he was eligible . After the deaths of the original " Gemini 9 " prime crew , Elliot See and Charles Bassett , Aldrin and Jim Lovell were 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 ) . Aldrin set a record for EVA , demonstrating that astronauts could work outside spacecraft . On July 21 , 1969 , he became the second astronaut to walk on the Moon , keeping his record total EVA time until that was surpassed on " Apollo 14 " . There has been much speculation about Aldrin ' s desire at the time to be the first astronaut to walk on the Moon . According to different NASA accounts , he had originally been proposed as the first to step onto the Moon ' s surface , but due to the physical positioning of the astronauts inside the compact lunar landing module , it was easier for the commander , Neil Armstrong , to be the first to exit the spacecraft . Aldrin , a Presbyterian , was the first person to hold a religious ceremony on the Moon . After landing on the Moon , he radioed Earth : " 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 took communion on the surface of the Moon , but he kept it secret because of a lawsuit brought by atheist activist Madalyn Murray O ' Hair over the reading of Genesis on Apollo 8 . Aldrin , a church elder , used a home communion kit given to him , and recited words used by , his pastor at Webster Presbyterian Church , the Rev . Dean Woodruff . The communion elements were the first food and liquid consumed on the Moon : in " Guideposts " , Aldrin stated : “ It was interesting to think that the very first liquid ever poured on the moon , and the first food eaten there , were communion elements . ” Webster Presbyterian Church , a local congregation in Webster , Texas , ( a Houston suburb near the Johnson Space Center ) possesses the chalice used for communion on the Moon , and commemorates the event annually on the Sunday closest to July 20 . Retirement . After leaving NASA , Aldrin was assigned as the Commandant of the U . S . Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base , California . 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 autobiographies " Return to Earth , " published in 1973 , and " Magnificent Desolation , " published in June 2009 , both provide accounts of his struggles with clinical depression and alcoholism in the years following his NASA career . His life improved considerably when he recognized and sought treatment for his problems , and with his marriage to Lois Driggs Cannon . Since retiring from NASA , he has continued to promote space exploration , including producing a computer strategy game called " Buzz Aldrin ' s Race Into Space " ( 1993 ) . To further promote space exploration , and to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing , Aldrin teamed up with Snoop Dogg , Quincy Jones , Talib Kweli , and Soulja Boy to create the rap single and video , " Rocket Experience " , with proceeds from video and song sales to benefit Aldrin ' s non - profit foundation , ShareSpace . In 1995 , he made a featured appearance in the Charlton Heston , Mickey Rooney , and Deborah Winters film " " , directed by Warren Chaney . He referred to a " Phobos monolith " in a July 22 , 2009 , interview with C - SPAN : " We should go boldly where man has not gone before . Fly by the comets , visit asteroids , visit the moon of Mars . There ' s a monolith there . A very unusual structure on this potato shaped object that goes around Mars once in seven hours . When people find out about that they ' re going to say ' Who put that there ? Who put that there ? ' The universe put it there . If you choose , God put it there … " Aldrin has voiced parody versions of himself in two of Matt Groening ' s animated series : " The Simpsons " episode " Deep Space Homer " - where he accompanies Homer Simpson on a trip into space as part of NASA ' s plan to improve its public appearance - and the " Futurama " episode " Cold Warriors " . In 2011 Aldrin appeared as himself in the film " " , where he explains to Optimus Prime and the Autobot s that the Apollo 11 mission also discovered a Cybertronian ship on the moon whose existence was concealed from the public . In 2012 , he made a cameo appearance in Japanese drama film " Space Brothers " . Aldrin also lent his voice talents to the 2012 video game " Mass Effect 3 " , playing a stargazer who appears in the game ' s final scene . Aldrin cycler . In 1985 , Aldrin proposed the existence of a special spacecraft trajectory now known as the Aldrin cycler . A spacecraft traveling on an Aldrin cycler trajectory would pass near the planets Earth and Mars on a regular ( cyclic ) basis . The Aldrin cycler is an example of a Mars cycler . He was also instrumental in the idea of training of astronauts underwater in order to better prepare them for the intricate space walks and duties of maintenance while in space . Bart Sibrel incident . On September 9 , 2002 , Aldrin was lured to a Beverly Hills hotel on the pretext of being interviewed for a Japanese children ' s television show . When he arrived , Apollo Conspiracy proponent Bart Sibrel accosted him with a film crew and demanded he swear on a Bible that the Moon landings were not faked . After a brief confrontation Aldrin punched Sibrel in the jaw . The police determined that Aldrin was provoked and no charges were filed . Aldrin dedicates a chapter to this incident in his autobiography " Magnificent Desolation " . Criticism of NASA ' s 2003 return - to - moon objectives . In December 2003 , Aldrin published an opinion piece in " The New York Times " criticizing NASA ' s objectives . In it , he voiced concern about NASA ' s development of a spacecraft " limited to transporting four astronauts at a time with little or no cargo carrying capability " and declared the goal of sending astronauts back to the Moon was " more like reaching for past glory than striving for new triumphs " . Support of a manned mission to Mars . In June 2013 , Aldrin wrote an opinion published in The New York Times supporting a manned mission to Mars and views the moon " not as a destination but more a point of departure , one that places humankind on a trajectory to homestead Mars and become a two - planet species . " Statement on global warming . In 2009 , Aldrin said he was skeptical that humans were causing current global climate change : " I think the climate has been changing for billions of years . If it ' s warming now , it may cool off later . I ' m not in favor of just taking short - term isolated situations and depleting our resources to keep our climate just the way it is today . I ' m not necessarily of the school that we are causing it all , I think the world is causing it . " Books . Books co - authored by Aldrin include " Return to Earth " ( 1973 ) , " Men From Earth " ( 1989 ) , " Reaching for the Moon " ( 2005 ) , " Look to the Stars " ( 2009 ) and " Magnificent Desolation " ( 2009 ) . He has also co - authored with John Barnes the science fiction novels " Encounter with Tiber " ( 1996 ) and " The Return " ( 2000 ) . His book " Mission to Mars " was published in May 2013 . Personal life . Aldrin has been married three times : to Joan Archer , mother of three raising / raised , James , Janice , and Andrew ; to Beverly Zile , and to Lois Driggs Cannon who helped him with his recovery and recent divorce . He filed for divorce from Lois on June 15 , 2011 , in Los Angeles , citing " irreconcilable differences " , according to his attorney , one day after the couple separated . The divorce was final on December 28 , 2012 . His battles against depression and alcoholism have been documented , most recently in " Magnificent Desolation " . Aldrin is an active supporter of the Republican Party , headlining fundraisers for GOP members of Congress . In 2007 , Aldrin confirmed to " Time " magazine that he had recently had a face - lift ; he joked that the G - forces he was exposed to in space " caused a sagging jowl that needed some attention . " Aldrin commented on the passing of his " Apollo 11 " colleague , Neil Armstrong , by saying that he was " deeply saddened by the passing . I know I am joined by millions of others in mourning the passing of a true American hero and the best pilot I ever knew . I had truly hoped that on July 20th , 2019 , Neil , Mike and I would be standing together to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of our moon landing . . . Regrettably , this is not to be . " Detached adapter panel sighting . In 2005 , while being interviewed for a documentary titled " First on the Moon : The Untold Story " , Aldrin told an interviewer that they saw an unidentified flying object . Aldrin told David Morrison , a NASA Astrobiology Institute Senior Scientist , that the documentary cut the crew ' s conclusion that they were probably seeing one of four detached spacecraft adapter panels . Their S - IVB upper stage was away , but the four panels were jettisoned before the S - IVB made its separation maneuver so they would closely follow the Apollo 11 spacecraft until its first midcourse correction . When Aldrin appeared on " The Howard Stern Show " on August 15 , 2007 , 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 . Interviewed by the Science Channel , Aldrin mentioned seeing unidentified objects , and according to Aldrin his words were taken out of context ; he asked the Science Channel to clarify to viewers he did not see alien spacecraft , but they refused . In popular culture . Aldrin has been portrayed by : " Monty Python ' s Flying Circus " series 2 , episode 4 ( episode 17 overall ) , was entitled " " and aired October 20 , 1970 . Aldrin is referred to in dialogue , and the closing credits scroll over his NASA portrait . Pixar character Buzz Lightyear ' s name was inspired by Aldrin . Aldrin acknowledged the tribute when he pulled a Buzz Lightyear doll out during a speech at NASA , to rapturous cheers . Aldrin did not receive any endorsement fees for the use of his first name . Footage of Aldrin punching Apollo conspiracy proponent Bart Sibrel in the jaw on September 9 , 2002 became a viral video and internet meme . Sibrel had lured Aldrin to a purported interview on space for a Japanese children ' s television show , whereupon Sibrel accosted him and insisted that Aldrin and others had lied about walking on the Moon . The police determined that Aldrin was provoked and no charges were filed . The title of the 2005 film , " " , was derived from Aldrin ' s description of the lunar landscape upon first stepping onto the surface . He subsequently used the expression as the title of his 2008 memoir . In 2010 , Aldrin was chosen to be a contestant on Season 10 of Dancing with the Stars . His professional partner was Ashly Costa who returned to the show for the first time since Season 3 . They came in 10th place . Buzz Aldrin voiced a minor character , the Stargazer , in the original epilogue scene of " Mass Effect 3 " . Jarle Bernhoft named a song after Aldrin in his sophomore album , " Solidarity Breaks " , in 2010 . In the " X - Universe " video game series the Aldrin star system and planet Aldrin are named for him .