Astronaut Buzz Aldrin

A portrait of astronaut Buzz Aldrin taken in July 1969. Aldrin was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first lunar landing. He and mission commander Neil Armstrong were the first persons to land on the Moon.

Buzz Aldrin, right, appears with his Apollo 11 crewmates Neil Armstrong, center, and Michael Collins in June 1969. Although he was the second man to walk on the moon, Aldrin was the first to speak from the lunar surface, sending the message "The Eagle has landed" to Mission Control.

Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong plant a U.S. flag on the moon's surface during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969. Aldrin's career after leaving NASA in 1972 was troubled by bouts of clinical depression and alcoholism. He wrote about these in his memoir, "Return to Earth."

Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, left, Michael Collins, center, and Buzz Aldrin are shown in May 1969. Aldrin grew up in New Jersey and graduated from West Point. His name, Buzz, was a nickname, originally resulting from his sister's mispronunciation of the word "brother." His made it his legal name in 1988.

Buzz Aldrin stands at the lunar landing module on the moon's surface during the Apollo 11 mission in July of 1969. Aldrin, a jet fighter pilot during the Koean War, is one of the space program's biggest boosters today. He has started a non-profit foundation called ShareSpace, created a computer strategy game about space and has teamed with entertainers to produce a rap song and video.

Richard M. Nixon, as U.S. president, greets the Apollo 11 crew, Neil Armstrong, right, Michael Collins, center, and Buzz Aldrin, after their return from their historic flight to the moon. A grandfather, Aldrin has been married three times and has three children.

Retired NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin is photographed with his wife Lois, Aug. 4, 2006. The two were married on Valentine's Day in 1988.

Buzz Aldrin poses for a photograph at the Southbank Centre in central London, ahead of the London Literature Festival, July 3, 2009.

President George W. Bush meets with the Apollo 11 crew, Neil Armstrong, left, Michael Collins, center, and Buzz Aldrin on July 21, 2004, the 35th anniversary of their landing on the moon.

Buzz Aldrin poses for a portrait during the 2007 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 22, 2007.

Buzz Aldrin attends the "Conversations In Cinema: 2001: A Space Odyssey" panel discussion held at PACE University during the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, April 27, 2008.

Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin and his wife, Lois Aldrin, pose as they arrive for the Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival in Paris, Friday, April 24, 2009. Buzz Aldrin was the second man to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, after Neil Armstrong.

Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin embraces Snoopy, the Apollo Program's official mascot, during a promotion event for the digital 3D animated movie "Fly Me to the Moon" in Tokyo Friday, Oct. 31, 2008. Aldrin plays himself in a live-action cameo.

A portrait of Buzz Aldrin at the Southbank Centre in central London, on July 3, 2009, ahead of the London Literature Festival where Aldrin was scheduled to read from his memoir "Magnificent Desolation."

Actress and daytime television co-host Kelly Ripa joins Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin at a screening of "Fly Me to the Moon" in New York, Thursday, July 31, 2008. Both Aldrin and Ripa supply voices for the animated film.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin his wife, Lois Driggs Cannon, arrive for an event sponsored by Louis Vuitton celebrating the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing at the Museum of Natural History Monday, July 13, 2009 in New York.

A footprint on the moon's surface left by Buzz Aldrin during Apollo 11 mission of July 1969.

Buzz Aldrin poses with his Honorary Lifetime of Adventure award at the Australian Geographic Society Awards at the Sofitel Hotel in Sydney, Australia, Oct. 6, 2010.

The space crew of the Apollo 11 mission for a press conference the night before liftoff at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, July 16, 1969.
From left to right : Lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin Jr, Commander Neil A. Armstrong, command module pilot Michael Collins.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin is interviewed during an event in the room where John F. Kennedy announced his candidacy for U.S. president on Capitol Hill, Jan. 20, 2011.

Space pioneer Buzz Aldrin promotes Axe body spray's "Send 22 Guys to Space" campaign at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Jan. 9, 2013.

Buzz Aldrin presents Sir Richard Branson with a plaque from Virgin Galactic's London offices during a ceremony inside the hangar facility at Spaceport America in New Mexico, Oct. 17, 2011.

Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. salutes the U.S. flag on the surface of the Moon during the Apollo 11 lunar mission, July 20, 1969.

A video screen telecasting Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Lunar Module pilot of Apollo 11, speaking during a discussion on "The Apollo Legacy: The Moon and Beyond" is reflected on the helmet of a spacesuit at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., on July 20, 2009.

Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin participates in interviews at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C., July 20, 2009, on the fortieth anniversary of the first moon landing.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin (L) and Lois Aldrin arrive at the 2010 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter held at Sunset Tower in West Hollywood, March 7, 2010.

Buzz Aldrin's hands are pictured as he poses for photographs at the Southbank Centre in central London, July 3, 2009, ahead of the London Literature Festival.