How old is Buzz Aldrin, what's his net worth, what has he said about UFOs and aliens and when did he walk on the …

BUZZ Aldrin is a former American astronaut who became only the second man in history to walk on the moon.

His achievements, along with the rest of the Apollo 11 crew, are still seen as one of the greatest feats in human history. Here’s Buzz’s story and how he helped mankind make one giant leap.

BBC

Who is Buzz Aldrin, how old is he and what’s his net worth?

Born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey in January 1930, Buzz’s real name was Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr but he ended up using Buzz due to his older sisters constantly mispronouncing brother as “Buzzer”.

In 1988 Aldrin legally changed his name from Edwin to Buzz.

He joined the prestigious US military academy at West point after graduating from high school in 1947 – following in the footsteps of his father who had also served in the armed forces.

Aldrin saw action during the Korean War in the US Air Force as a fighter pilot.

After several years in the Air Force he gained a degree in astronautics in 1963 and quickly became part of Nasa’s select group of astronauts.

Aldrin joined NASA at the height of the Cold War, with space increasingly becoming a cause of conflict and competition between the US and the USSR.

After a series of launches as part of the Gemini missions, he then joined Neil Armstrong on the Apollo 11 mission.

On July 20, 1969, a truly momentous moment in human history occurred when Armstrong, followed closely by Aldrin made the first ever lunar landing and made mankind’s first steps onto the surface of the moon.

The event is best remembered by Armstrong’s iconic quote: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

In comparison, Aldrin’s first words after exiting the lunar vehicle were simply “Beautiful view”.

Aldrin retired from active duty in March 1972 but still makes public appearances and continues to be an advocate for space exploration, pushing in 2009 for a manned mission to Mars.

He has also made appearances as himself in The Simpsons and Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon.

The former astronaut is estimated to be worth a whopping $12million.

NASA

What has he said about Aliens and UFOs?

In April 2018, it was reported that Aldrin, along with three other astronauts, had passed lie detector tests over claims they had experienced alien encounters.

Allegedly, Aldrin, Al Worden, Edgar Mitchell and Gordon Cooper all took part in the study which took place at the Institute of BioAcoustic Biology in Albany, Ohio, the Daily Star reported.

Aldrin, now 88, claimed he was a spaceship on his way to the moon, adding: “There was something out there that was close enough to be observed… sort of L-shaped.”

The tests, reportedly more reliable than standard lie detector tests, showed he was telling the truth.

Aldrin has also answered questions about his alleged encounter with alien life on a Reddit Q&A, which took place just days earlier.

In one post he said: “On Apollo 11 in route to the Moon, I observed a light out the window that appeared to be moving alongside us.

“There were many explanations of what that could be, other than another spacecraft from another country or another world.

“It was either the rocket we had separated from or the four panels that moved away when we extracted the lander from the rocket.

“It was not an alien. Extraordinary observations require extraordinary evidence. That’s what Carl Sagan said.

“There may be aliens in our Milky Way galaxy, and there are billions of other galaxies. The probability is almost certain that there is life somewhere in space.

“It was not that remarkable, that special, that unusual, that life here on earth evolved gradually, slowly, to where we are today.”

Let’s block ads! (Why?)