Buzz Aldrin: Apollo 11 Astronaut

On July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong made their historic Apollo 11 moonwalk. Since then, Aldrin has emerged as a leading space exploration advocate, charting a course for future space travel. He founded Starcraft Boosters Inc., a rocket design company, and the ShareSpace Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to advancing space education and exploration. He is also an author of eight books, including his bestselling autobiography, Magnificent Desolation, and most recently, Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration. Aldrin has a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and a doctorate of science in astronautics from MIT. He has been decorated with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.

Buzz Aldrin was a featured speaker at Smithsonian magazine’s “The Future is Here” conference on June 1. See a video of his talk below: