Buzz Aldrin

Hello, I'm Buzz Aldrin. You might wonder how I got the name 'Buzz.' When I was little, my sister had trouble saying 'brother' and it came out sounding like 'buzzer.' Soon, everyone was calling me Buzz. I was born on January 20th, 1930. My father was an aviator, which is a fancy word for a pilot who flies airplanes. I loved watching him fly. Seeing him soar through the air made me dream that one day I could fly high in the skies, just like he did. That dream was the start of a very big adventure for me.

When I grew up, I studied hard in school and became a fighter pilot for the United States Air Force. Flying airplanes was exciting, but I wanted to go even higher—all the way to space. In 1963, I was chosen to become a NASA astronaut. The training was very hard, but I was determined to reach the stars. My first trip to space was in 1966 on a mission called Gemini 12. During that flight, I got to do a spacewalk. It was an incredible feeling to float outside my spaceship, looking down at the beautiful Earth below me.

My most famous adventure happened on the Apollo 11 mission. I was part of a team with two other amazing astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins. Our goal was to be the first people to ever land on the Moon. On July 16th, 1969, we sat inside a powerful rocket that rumbled and shook as it blasted off into space. After traveling for a few days, we finally reached the Moon. On July 20th, 1969, Neil and I landed our lunar module on the Moon's powdery surface. Neil stepped out first, and I was the second person to walk on the Moon. Looking around at the quiet, gray landscape, I called it 'magnificent desolation.'

When we came back to Earth, there was a huge celebration for us. People all over the world were amazed that we had walked on the Moon. Since then, I have spent my life encouraging everyone, especially kids, to study science and follow their dreams. I hope humans will continue to explore space and maybe even travel to the planet Mars one day. I want you to always remember to work hard, be curious, and never stop reaching for the stars.