Buzz Aldrin is a former astronaut, engineer, and fighter pilot for the United States who is worth an estimated $12 million. Buzz Aldrin, along with Neil Armstrong, is well-known for becoming the second human being to set foot on the Moon. This historic event occurred in 1969. He was the pilot of Gemini 12 in 1966 and before that he performed combat sorties during the Korean War.
Aldrin joined the US Air Force Test Pilot School as its Commandant after leaving NASA in 1971. His younger of two older sisters often pronounced “brother” as “buzzer,” so the name stuck. In 1988, Aldrin adopted it as his legal given name. He was the Apollo 11 lunar module pilot during the first ever manned lunar landing, making him the “second” human being to set foot on the Moon.
At 3:15:16 (UTC) on July 21, 1969, he became the second human being to set foot on the Moon, behind mission leader Neil Armstrong. When Aldrin first stepped foot on the Moon, he said “It’s a stunning vista, for sure. Great beauty in the emptiness.”
Buzz Aldrin’s Net Worth
Buzz Aldrin Had a Net Worth of About $12 Million. Back in 1998, Buzz and his now ex-wife Lois spent $1.34 million buying a condo in LA’s posh Westwood neighborhood. After Buzz and his ex-wife finalized their divorce, he listed his condo for $3.3 million.
The apartment building was auctioned off in June 2014 for $2.857 million. Buzz and his ex-wife Lois bought a condo in Westwood, Los Angeles, for $1.34 million in 1998. Buzz put up the property for sale shortly after he and his ex-wife split up, asking $3,3 million. In June 2014, the condo went for $2.857 million at auction.
Buzz Aldrin’s Biography
Former Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, in 1930. Edwin Sr., a Standard Oil businessman and veteran aviator with the American Army in World War I, and Marion were his parents. Madeleine and Fay Ann, his older sisters, were his first parents. When Aldrin was younger, he participated in the Boy Scouts and played football for Montclair High School.
Aldrin’s dad strongly hoped for him to go to the US Naval Academy, therefore he put him through Severn School. However, he had severe motion sickness and ultimately decided to enroll at West Point instead. In 1951, Aldrin earned a BS in mechanical engineering, placing third in his class.
Read More: ASAP Rocky’s Net Worth: “A Closer Look at His Million-Dollar Empire”
Buzz Aldrin and His Military Career
Prior to his time in space, Buzz Aldrin was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force (USAF). In 1951, he earned his commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force after graduating from West Point, the United States Military Academy. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service in the Korean War, during which he flew 66 combat flights in an F-86 Sabre fighter jet.
After serving in the Korean War, Aldrin attended MIT to acquire a doctorate in astronautics. After finishing his doctorate degree, he went back to work as a test pilot in the Air Force, contributing to the design of new aircraft and missile systems. In addition to his time in the Air Force, he was an Aerospace Research Pilot.
After serving in the Air Force, Aldrin applied to join NASA and was chosen to be a part of the “Third Group” or “The Nine” of astronauts in 1963. Later, he joined NASA and became an astronaut, taking off on missions including Gemini 12 in 1966 and Apollo 11 in 1969. After 20 years of service in the United States, he left NASA and the Air Force in 1971.
Buzz Aldrin at NASA
The United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a space race throughout much of the 1960s. In 1962, Aldrin submitted an application to join NASA but was turned down because he lacked any test pilot experience.
In 1963, however, a new group of astronaut candidates was chosen, and this time, 1,000 hours of flight time was required rather than having been a test pilot. More than 2,500 hours of flight time were logged by Aldrin. Aldrin was given the responsibility of mission planning after being chosen.
Gemini 12’s pilot, spent nearly five and a half hours working outside the spacecraft. In 1969, Buzz Aldrin was chosen to be the lunar module’s pilot for Apollo 11, the mission that would make history by landing people on the Moon for the first time.
Read More: “Sam Smith Fortune”: How He Became a Multi-Millionaire Musician?
Buzz Aldrin and The Moon Landing
On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 took out for the Moon, and more than a million spectators watched from the beaches and highways near the launchpad. After they had landed on the Moon, Aldrin was in charge of giving the order to return to Earth.
On July 20th, 1969, humans made the historic first landing on the Moon. Back on Terra firma, the crew was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Aldrin later gave a number of talks and made other public appearances.
He contributed to the development of the space shuttle. However, by 1971 he had decided to leave NASA and go back to the Air Force since he saw so few opportunities there. With 289 hours in orbit under his belt, Aldrin called it quits with NASA.
Buzz Aldrin After NASA
Buzz Aldrin was an outspoken supporter of future human spaceflight, including missions to the Moon and Mars, long after he retired from NASA. Along with “Return to Earth” (1973), “The Return” (2000), and “No Dream Is Too High,” he is the author of other novels (2016). He gave several lectures, granted many interviews, and appeared as a special guest on many television programs.
Also, the President appointed Aldrin to serve on the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident, and he did so while also serving on the National Aeronautics and Space Council. Along with being inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005, he also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.
Aldrin has also been vocal in recent years about his support for commercial space travel and other space tourism initiatives. He also helped establish the non-profit ShareSpace Foundation, which works to get kids interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through space-related activities.
Personal Life
They had three children together (Janice, James, and Andrew) before divorcing in 1974. Aldrin married Joan Archer in 1954. Next, from 1975 to 1978, Aldrin was married to Beverly Van Zile. Lois Driggs Cannon was his third wife; he married her in 1988 and they divorced in 2012.
From Beverly Hills to Westwood to Emerald Bay to Laguna Beach, Aldrin has spent the majority of his life in the Los Angeles and Orange County locations. He has also spent time in Florida’s Satellite Beach.
Read More: The Incredible Net Worth of Terry Bradshaw: A Look Into The Finances of a Football Icon!
Honors
In 1969, Aldrin was recognized for his contributions to the Apollo 11 mission by being awarded the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal. Along with the Legion of Merit, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the Collier Trophy (which was awarded to the whole Apollo 11 crew), he also served in the Gemini and Apollo programs.
The International Space Hall of Fame inducted him together with nine other Gemini astronauts in 1982. Subsequently, he was honored by induction into three halls of fame: the US Astronaut Hall of Fame, the National Aviation Hall of Fame, and the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
The General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award from the Space Foundation, the Harmon Trophy, and a variety of honorary degrees from various colleges and universities have also been awarded to him.
Leave a Comment