July 20, 1969—a day that would go down in history, as the first humans went on to set foot on the Moon. With an estimated 530 million people worldwide watching at the time, today’s generation can recall their parents or grandparents describe the chills they felt as Neil Armstrong spoke his famous words.1 People today tend to forget that there was a second man to touch down some fifteen minutes after Armstrong: Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, a man sometimes forgotten simply because he was not the first man on the Moon, on a mission that could have been quite capably another NASA tragedy.
The Apollo 11 Mission consisted of a crew of three men; Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Armstrong.2 On July 16, 1969, the crew prepared to launch from Cape Kennedy in Florida. Aldrin described what he saw, as his colleagues were being strapped into the rocket. He took in the moment and the magnitude of the journey the crew was about to embark on:
“As far as I could see there were people and cars lining the beaches and highways. The surf was just beginning to rise out of an azure-blue ocean. I could see the massiveness of the Saturn V rocket below and the magnificent precision of Apollo above. I savored the wait and marked the minutes in my mind as something I would always want to remember.”3
At 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969, the Saturn V Rocket ignited, launching the crew of Apollo 11 towards the Moon some 238,900 miles away. Aldrin poetically describes his view of Earth from space, “The thought reoccurred that wars are generally fought for territory or are disputes over borders; from space the arbitrary borders established on Earth cannot be seen.”4
On July 20, with the ever growing Moon in sight, the Lunar Module detached from the Command Module. From here on out, Aldrin was the pilot. It was his turn to etch his name in the history of humankind.
While advancing toward the Moon’s surface, the dreaded yellow caution light came on. Being so far away from Earth, yet so close to the surface of the Moon, the astronauts’ only hope was that the malfunction wasn’t critical. “Hearts shot up into throats while we waited to learn what would happen.”5 The crew received another caution warning before being told by their flight commander back in Houston to proceed. Following the first two warnings, Aldrin and Armstrong went on to receive at least three more warnings before being reassured, once again, that the mission was still a go.
July 20, 1969 at 4:17 p.m. — Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin successfully lands Lunar Module Eagle on the surface of the Moon in Mare Tranquillitatis (The Sea of Tranquility). Command Center has been painfully waiting four long days to hear Aldrin radio the words of success: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”6
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the second man to set a pair of footprints on the surface of the Moon some fifteen minutes after his Command Leader Neil Armstrong initially touched down. When asked about the Moon’s scenery, Aldrin described it as “Beautiful, beautiful. Magnificent Desolation.”7 The crew spent the following hours taking samples from the Moon, taking photos, and of course, planting the American Flag on the Moon’s surface.
Twenty-one hours after landing, it was time to head back to Earth. The Eagle would meet back up with the Command Module Columbia and its pilot Michael Collins in the Moon’s orbit. The crew shared a brief celebratory moment before preparing their return voyage—back towards Earth’s orbit. The crew would return to Earth eight days after launch, landing in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969.8 In a stunning display of American science Buzz Armstrong, along with the rest of the Apollo 11 crew, ultimately ended the Space Race—heeding President John F Kennedy’s 1961 call to put American men on the Moon and safely return them before the decade’s end.
“And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God’s blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.” — John F. Kennedy, September 12, 1962
- Sarah Loff, “Apollo 11 Mission Overview,” NASA, April 17, 2015. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo11.html. ↵
- Lawrence W. Baker, Sarah Hermsen, Rob Nagel, Peggi Saari, Space Exploration Reference Library (Detriot; UXL, 2008), 178. ↵
- Edgar M. Cortright, Apollo Expeditions to the Moon: The NASA History (Courier Corporation, 2012), 204. ↵
- Edgar M. Cortright, Apollo Expeditions to the Moon: The NASA History (Courier Corporation, 2012), 206. ↵
- Edgar M. Cortright, Apollo Expeditions to the Moon: The NASA History (Courier Corporation, 2012), 212. ↵
- NASA Content Administrator, “July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind.” NASA, February 19, 2015, http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo11.html. ↵
- Buzz Aldrin and Wayne Warga, Return to Earth (Open Road Media, 2015), ebook. ↵
- Buzz Aldrin and Wayne Warga, Return to Earth (Open Road Media, 2015), ebook. ↵
97 comments
Daniel Linstead
My Grandfather was an astronomer, so growing up looking at the stars and planets I have always found it fascinating. I obviously knew about Edwin “Buzz Aldrin, but I never mattered to look into depth about it. It was an incredible achievement but Apollo 11 to land on the moon and making history and will be something that will be spoken about forever. Buzz must be a proud man to be able to be able to say he has been to the moon in the first mission ever.
Maggie Amador
It is funny how the man who inspired the famous Buzz Lightyear is not as well recognized as his predecessor. I love reading of different astronaut’s experiences and descriptions of Earth as they are the ones who have truly seen it for all of its beauty. I love that this article included quotes from Aldrin because it gives insight into what he felt and his personal experience of doing something that few have had the opportunity to do.
Mason Meza
I had heard of Buzz Aldrin before I read this article but the reason I decided to read this article is because of the more complex information that would be included in here. I knew he was part of the Apollo 11 mission and it is very true that these three men did in fact make history. They were the first ones the had landed on the moon and it was a race between us and USSR. Buzz is very underrated, yes he wasnt the first to step foot on the moon but he was the second which in itself is a huge accomplishment. So kudos to Buzz.
Michael Hinojosa
I only had only learned minimal information about Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin in my high school physics class but it wasn’t really any in-depth information like what was presented in this article! I do think that even though he wasn’t the first man on the moon he should still be recognized as one of the few lucky people who got to go up into the stars and walk on a surface far different than our own.
Kacey Diaz
This was a really good article. I like that it highlighted Buzz Aldrin. I knew that he was the second man to step on the moon but what I didn’t know was that he stepped on the moon 15 minutes after Neil Armstrong landed on the moon so I thought that was really interesting. Overall this was a good article that told us who the second man on the moon was.
Christopher Hohman
Nice article. Buzz Aldrin was really unappreciated by many because he was not the first man to land on the moon, but he still did it. He deserves a lot of credit just as much has Neil Armstrong in my opinion. His quote about how spectacular the moon was in its desolation is really powerful. He was one of the first people to ever set foot on the moon and it must have been breathtaking for him to see. His quote about how useless borders are when we view the earth from space is more resonate however. When it comes down to it we are such an insignificant species on a planet that is one of trillions. We have no business fighting each other
Avery Looney
Before reading this article I had never heard of Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin before. The only thing we tend to remember is the first person and not the ones to follow. I also never knew that multiple caution lights came on before the landing on the moon. The three men that were on the Apollo 11 mission made history, and their success will be talked about forever.
Christopher Vasquez
It’s sad to think that Aldrin is not as remembered as Armstrong. Despite this, they both made history. They also they helped scientists around the world by collecting rock samples. These two became American heroes when they returned; after all, they proved just how powerful and special the United States of America is. These two men must have been very courageous to embark on a mission like that; they went where no one had gone before.
Eric Ortega Rodriguez
Wow, this was a very fascinating article. Primarily because I have not heard that many articles written on Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. I guess this is simply because when one searched up the first moon landing, Neil Armstrong is always the first person to pop up. Overall, I liked that this article focused on something different and described issues they had while on their voyage. Even mentioning ” the dreaded yellow caution light” which came on. This was overall a very interesting read with an excellent topic selection. Good work.
Gabriela Ochoa
I found this article interesting everyone believes that Neil Armstrong was the most important person of that flight because he got to stand on the moon first. To read that they had so many warning but were able to proceed to the moon was amazing. I felt that its good for the other people that were also involved in the mission to be known for all the work they did and not just Armstrong because he was the first man on the moon.