Buzz Aldrin

SCANDINAVIAN-AMERICAN HALL OF FAME
1985 INDUCTEE

Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. was born January 20, 1930 of Scottish, Swedish and German descent in Glen Ridge, NJ. After graduating from West Point in 1951, Aldrin was commissioned as Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and served as a fighter pilot during the Korean War. In 1963, Aldrin joined the NASA team and on July 21, 1969, he became the second man to walk on the moon. With NASA, he flew on the Gemini 12 and later as a lunar module pilot on Apollo 11.

Later in life, he helped foster a love for air and space travel in others by helping launch astronautical programs at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D.

A 21-year veteran of the United States Air Force, Aldrin was a fighter pilot during the Korean War and was commander of the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base. He is the recipient of the Air Force Association’s prestigious General Jimmy Doolittle Fellowship for his outstanding contributions to aerospace and education.

Aldrin, a retired colonel, is developing an astronautical studies program at UND and is pursuing research on zero gravity sickness. He is also working on a research proposal to NASA Johnson Space Center for a study on coping with the visual and psychological stress symptoms of the space adaptation syndrome. He team teaches a course that is expected to be the beginning of a new academic program for students seeking a general knowledge of space sciences and its many applications. Aldrin has been active in promoting the nation’s first Young Astronaut program in Grand Forks.