Buzz Aldrin Turns 96

[entropychaser]

Buzz Aldrin...New Jersey native...USMA Class of 1951....Korean War Veteran... and along with Neil Armstrong became the first two humans to set foot on the surface of the moon on July 21, 1969 turned 96 today.

As such, he remains a national treasure: in my eyes even more so after he punched out that POS that accused him of faking the lunar landing.

It is relatively unknown that NASA provided the Apollo 11 crew members with audio cassettes to make a mix tape of songs ( in college we called them party tapes) for entertainment during the trip to the moon and back. Various play lists can be found on the internet.

One song we know that Buzz picked out for the journey was performed by John Stewart. Stewart, a former member of The Kingston Trio, is best known for writing the Monkees hit song "Daydream Believer"

"Mother Country"

 

[3511]

Two of the three Apollo 11 astronauts were West Point (USMA) graduates, Buzz Aldrin (1951) and Michael Collins (1952).

Astronaut Ed White, Collin's West Point classmate, the first man to walk in space, was being groomed for that Apollo 11 flight but died when his capsule burned up on the launch pad in 1967.

Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, was a civilian. Aldrin was supposed to be in that role but because of the unpopularity of the Vietnam War at the time it was decided that the first man on the moon should not be a military man. West Point legend had it that President Lyndon Johnson played a role in that decision.

As Walter Cronkite would say at the time, " and that's the way it is...".

God bless Buzz Aldrin.

 

[Lebby]

Two of the three Apollo 11 astronauts were West Point (USMA) graduates, Buzz Aldrin (1951) and Michael Collins (1952).

Astronaut Ed White, Collin's West Point classmate, the first man to walk in space, was being groomed for that Apollo 11 flight but died when his capsule burned up on the launch pad in 1967.

Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, was a civilian. Aldrin was supposed to be in that role but because of the unpopularity of the Vietnam War at the time it was decided that the first man on the moon should not be a military man. West Point legend had it that President Lyndon Johnson played a role in that decision.

As Walter Cronkite would say at the time, " and that's the way it is...".

God bless Buzz Aldrin.

While Armstrong was a civilian at the time of the Moon landing he was a Navy Lieutenant (j.g.) who served from 1949 to 1960. He also flew 78 missions over Korea.