From a distance, he almost looks like he could be just another grandfather wandering the floor of Hanover's Maryland Live casino. A casino promotion had brought him to the casino.
About 5 feet 6 inches tall, with white hair, blue eyes and a charismatic smile. Of course, most average 86-year-old men don't draw a crowd of reporters and cameras around them everywhere they go.
The reason this man does is because 47 years ago this July, he did something that had seemed impossible.
He stood on the moon.
Buzz Aldrin, and his Apollo 11 crew mates Neil Armstrong (the first man on the moon) and Michael Collins, fulfilled the national goal set by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Their success was America's success in the "Space Race" against the Russians. So, there's an odd dynamic at play when Aldrin mingles with us mere mortals. There seems to be a sense of wonder at a man who did the impossible, along with a shared conviction we all did it together.Those who were alive to remember it feel compelled to tell Aldrin where they were when it happened. At one time, Aldrin had kept a book to write down all the places, Christina Korp, his manager for the past eight years, said.But for Aldrin, Apollo is the past."It was doing something that had not been done before," Aldrin says matter-of-factly.But we could celebrate other firsts in the near future — landing a space craft on an asteroid, setting up a colony on the moon. Going to Mars."It would be inspiring," he said.Becoming 'Buzz'Aldrin grew up in Montclair, N.J. His parents named him Edwin.He got the name "Buzz" from his little sister, who, unable to pronounce the word "brother," called him "Buzzer."He later changed his name legally.Having graduated high school a year early, attended the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., according to a biography on his official website. He later became a fighter pilot for the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.But he had aspirations that extended far out of the cockpit.After the war, he attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned a Ph.D. and gained the attention of National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or N.A.S.A.Apollo 11 was Aldrin's second mission in space. His first 1966's, Gemini 12 will celebrate its 50th anniversary this November.Aldrin said that he first became interested in science at a young age."I marveled at the reason behind the laws of behavior of objects – physics," he said.Looking to the futureEven in his mid-80s, Aldrin has never stopped thinking of all the scientific benchmarks that man has yet to achieve. He speaks about comets and gravitational orbits in a way that inevitably few understand."I find more and more I'm thinking of things that people haven't thought of," he said.Unlike the 1960s, man's achievements in space are more likely to be accomplished by cooperating with other nations — particularly China, he said."Wouldn't it be a wonderful, symbolic thing to exchange information?" he said.Aldrin remains optimistic about space exploration.A year after the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded, then-President George W. Bush had vowed that N.A.S.A. would return to the moon again by 2020. Just four years away from that deadline, the prospect now seems unobtainable, Aldrin said.Aldrin's visit to Hanover, came just days after U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly returned after spending a year on the International Space Station. While such feats are inspiring, it's not nearly enough, he said."I don't think going up to a space station and staying a year, knowing you're coming back is quite enough to prepare for a very long stay at Mars," he said.Establishing a base on the moon, though, could provide the training needed to prepare for Mars, he said.That familiar space manOver the year's Aldrin has become one of, if not the, most recognizable face to ever emerge from the space program. He's been on countless TV shows including Dancing with the Stars, 30 Rock and The Simpsons.The BBC is in the process of filming a documentary on Aldrin. Just last week they followed him to Cambridge University where he met famed physicist Stephen Hawking, Korp said."He's got a pretty good sense of humor about himself," Korp said.Aldrin relocated from Los Angeles to Florida, about a year ago.The 86-year-old has three kids from three marriages, a grandson and three great-grandsons. He has a steady girlfriend who is a fellow pilot.Part of the reason, he's stayed in the public eye for so long is that he wants to be remembered for more than just for kicking up a little dust on the moon."It's good to be not just another guy who went to the moon, but someone who is fortunate in using my education, my drive and my imagination," said Aldrin.Would he be interested in going back to space?"I'd have to look at the benefits," he said. "Could I do something that I haven't done before?"Want to win a trip to space?Maryland Live casino has launched a promotion through March giving patrons the opportunity to win trips to space.Four trips will be awarded — one every Saturday throughout the month. Maryland Live officials believe it to be the first give-away of its kind at any casino, said Mario Maesano, the casino's senior vice president of marketing said.When the trips might actually take place remains unclear. The trips are subject to approval by the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation.The casino is also giving away trips to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and some $400,000 in other cash and prizes.| < Prev | Next > |
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