Buzz Aldrin
| Buzz Aldrin | |
| Born | January 20, 1930, Glen Ridge, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Died | — |
| Nationality | American |
| Category | Astronaut |
| Roles | Gemini 12 and Apollo 11 astronaut; second person to walk on the Moon |
| Notable claim | Saw an object near the spacecraft one day from the Moon (1969) |
| Status | Living |
| Living | |
Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. (born 1930) is an Air Force fighter pilot and engineer who flew Gemini 12 and, on July 20, 1969, became the second person to walk on the Moon on Apollo 11.[1]
In the Apollo 11 technical debriefing, released in PURSUE Release 01, Aldrin described an object about a day out from the Moon that “had a sizeable dimension to it,” which the crew studied through a monocular, plus light flashes inside the dark cabin and a bright light on the return trip that the crew guessed was a laser.[2]
Assessment
The crew suspected the object was the Saturn V’s S-IVB stage; Aldrin has since said it was most likely one of the four large panels that separated from the S-IVB, which traveled near the spacecraft. He has publicly criticized TV programs that edited his comments to suggest an alien sighting. The cabin flashes were cosmic rays striking the eye, a known effect.
See also
Further reading
- Buzz Aldrin & Ken Abraham (2009). Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon (Amazon)
- Buzz Aldrin & Wayne Warga (1973). Return to Earth (Amazon)
References
- ^ NASA, Apollo 11 Technical Crew Debriefing, July 31, 1969.
- ^ U.S. Department of War (2026). PURSUE Release 01, NASA-UAP-D004.