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(#18) He Hasn't Spared NASA from Criticism
Aldrin's book Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration lays out his vision for how NASA could launch a manned mission to the red planet - a vision NASA doesn't share. Aldrin also criticized the Obama administration for the NASA Asteroid Redirect Mission, which is intended to capture a near-earth asteroid and bring it back to earth for study.
"Bringing an asteroid back to Earth? What's that have to do with space exploration?" Aldrin asked in 2013. "If we were moving outward from there and an asteroid is a good stopping point, then fine. But now it's turned into a whole planetary defense exercise at the cost of our outward exploration."
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(#7) Aldrin Wanted to Be the First Man on the Moon
While Apollo 11 mission commander Neil Armstrong ended up being the first human being to set foot on the moon, Buzz Aldrin wanted the distinction for himself. NASA protocol up until that point was that the less senior officer on a mission would be the first one out on a spacewalk, allowing the commander to stay inside if something went wrong.
Various sources tell different stories, but both Aldrin and NASA apparently wanted Aldrin to come out first, leaving Armstrong inside to monitor Aldrin's walk. But positioning inside the lunar module made it impossible for Aldrin to get out first - Armstrong was the one closer to the door.
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(#16) Aldrin Punched a Moon Landing Denier in the Face
On September 9, 2002, Aldrin was confronted in a Beverly Hills hotel by Bart Sibrel, a filmmaker and moon landing denier who demanded Aldrin swear on a Bible that the moon landings weren't fake. After Sibrel called Aldrin a coward and a liar, Aldrin responded by socking him in the jaw - which was caught on tape.
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(#10) Aldrin's Pen Might Have Saved His Life
When Armstrong and Aldrin landed Apollo 11 on the moon, they had to deal with a number of issues. Most notably, they overshot their landing spot and nearly landed in an area strewn with rocks - avoiding them in a maneuver that nearly cost them all their fuel. When it came time to launch the lunar module to leave the moon and rejoin the command module, Aldrin realized the switch to activate the ascent engine had been broken off.
If they couldn't fire the engines, they'd be stuck on the moon until someone could rescue them - or for good. Fortunately, Aldrin thought fast and used a felt-tipped pen to push the circuit back in and fire the engines.
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(#13) He's Beefed with a Number of Companies for Exploiting His Image
While Aldrin wore an Omega watch during his moon landing, he claimed the company used his image without permission or compensation in advertising the watch. He also sued Topps after the company issued trading cards with his image and didn't agree on a licensing fee with him.
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(#9) He Was Also the First Person to Eat on the Moon
Along with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin became the first person to eat on the moon when he consumed ham-salad sandwiches and dehydrated snacks upon landing. Finally, he was the first man to ever urinate on the moon, relieving himself in his spacesuit - while hundreds of millions of people around the world watched.
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Buzz Aldrin is a famous NASA astronaut for being the second person to set foot on the moon during the first mission to the moon. After cessation of space missions, Aldrin returned to the Air Force as a manager, but problems began to appear in his personal life. His autobiography revealed the story of depression and alcoholism after he left the Aerospace Agency.
More than half a century has passed since the first moon landing, but many people still refuse to believe the authenticity of Buzz Aldrin's achievements. The random tool shares 18 things about Buzz Aldrin you did not know.
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