1930-

American engineer and astronaut who walked in space during Gemini 12 and explored the moon during Apollo 11. After a 1951 graduation from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, "Buzz" Aldrin served in the U.S. Air Force, where he earned his pilot wings (1952) and flew combat missions during the Korean War. In 1963 NASA selected Aldrin for the third group of U.S. astronauts. In 1969 he and Neil Armstrong (1930- ) became the first humans to set foot on the surface of the Moon.