Buzz Aldrin Biography

Fast Facts

• Mother's maiden name was Marion Moon
• Played center on the 1946 Montclair High School football team, which won the New Jersey State Championship
• Got the nickname "buzzer" from one of his sisters as a child; legally changed his first name to Buzz in 1988
• Flew 66 combat missions during the Korean War
• Logged nearly 300 hours in space, including more than two hours on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969
• Has written a number of books, including multiple novels, autobiographies, children's books and a nonfiction account of the Apollo 11 mission
• Recorded a humorous rap song titled "Rocket Experience" in 2009
• The second oldest person---after actor Cloris Leachman---to compete on ABC's Dancing with the Stars
• Holds three patents for rocket and spacecraft schematics