Buzz Aldrin

He graduated 3rd in his class at West Point, was a jet fighter pilot in Korea and earned his Doctor of Astronautics from MIT. Each of those accomplishments helped to prepare Buzz Aldrin for the historic event when he and Neil Armstrong landed on the moon and took "One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind."

When the Eagle Landed on July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin completed an American mission, and his feat is widely remembered as one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century and the most memorable event in television history. Aldrin also piloted the Gemini 12 rendezvous space flight in 1966, during which he set a new 5.5 hour record for extended spacewalking.

A living hero, an American patriot and space pioneer, when Buzz and Neil landed the Eagle on the moon thirty years ago, the event marked not only the fulfillment of President Kennedy's mission to send someone to the moon before the end of the 1960s, but also began a new era of space exploration for all humanity. Aldrin is a reminder of the adventurous spirit of our country and stands as one of the bravest explorers of all time.

Today we stand at the dawn of a new future that beckons space travel and exploration: space hotels, airline-capacity shuttles for citizen explorers, missions back to the moon, and trips to Mars. At the forefront of this brave new age stands Buzz Aldrin, astronaut futurist and advocate of privatization, space tourism and a new generation of reusable rockets. Time Magazine calls him the man "who wants to send you into space." Forbes says he's the astronaut who "reaches for the stars through his ShareSpace Foundation." David Letterman introduced him as the guy who wants to give ordinary people a chance to ride in space. CNN.com pictures Buzz (a strong supporter of the Tito flight) alongside pioneering space tourist Denis Tito during their testimony before a House subcommittee hearing on the future of citizen space travel. NUVO has captioned Aldrin as the "Father of Space Tourism."

Dr. Aldrin voices his concepts of space travel to tourism conferences, Congressional leaders and the corporate world. His nonprofit ShareSpace Foundation, under a grant from NASA, is developing a study on just how long- range space exploration can benefit from opening the doors to space tourism; meanwhile his think-tank Starcraft Boosters, Inc. works on the rocket designs that can get us there. Dr. Aldrin chairs the ShareSpace Foundation and serves on the Board of Governors at the National Space Society.

Buzz Aldrin recently fulfilled his term of service as President George W. Bush's appointee on the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. Amongst a team of aviation industry leaders, Buzz contributed his expertise as an astronaut, rocket-scientist and space futurist to recommend in the commission's published report key strategies for reinvigorating America's space program.

Dr. Aldrin is a 2005 recipient of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans award. He was selected from hundreds of nominations based on having overcome humble beginnings and adversity to achieve success. Members of the Association mentor young people and sponsor over $5 million in Horatio Alger need-based scholarships awarded annually. Among the 585 members of the Association are well known Americans including Dr. Maya Angelou, former Senator Robert J. Dole, boxing legend George Foreman, Reverend Billy Graham, Secretary of State Colin Powell and media-mogul Oprah Winfrey.

Dr. Aldrin's novel, a space adventure entitled The Return, fascinates readers with its story of four indomitable childhood friends who present the only hope to overcome a space-age crisis in a world where space tourism has come to fruition. Aldrin's past books include his first space novel and bestseller, Encounter with Tiber. His most recent published work is a children's book, Reaching for the Moon, which relates the life events that led him to the space program and his assignment on Apollo 11.

In his speeches, Buzz Aldrin encourages audiences to "reach for the stars," in life and their endeavors and shares his memories of his momentous walk on the moon, the travels he's taken since and his vision for the future. He draws upon his experience and insights with stories of his space walks and moon walks and takes us on a journey into the future with his vision of a space- faring world where "citizen explorers" take space tours beyond lower-earth orbit and the Aldrin "Mars Cycler" space ship makes frequent stops for astronaut explorers on Mars.