Ciaran Brown meets astronaut Buzz Aldrin

Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin was born in Montclair, New Jersey in 1930. His father, also called Edwin, was a military man and an aviation pioneer. The nickname 'Buzz' came about when his little sister mispronounced 'brother' as 'buzzer'. Aldrin made 'Buzz' his legal first name in 1988.

Aldrin went to Montclair High School, and then on to the US Military Academy at West Point, from where he graduated with honours in 1951. After gaining his

In October 1963, NASA chose him as one of their astronauts, and three years later he partnered Captain Jim Lovell on board Gemini XII. This mission lasted five days, orbiting the earth 59

July 16th 1969 saw over 700 million people glued to their TVs as Apollo 11 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre carrying the Commander Neil Armstrong, the Command Module Pilot Michael Collins and the Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin, bound for the Moon.

On July 19th, Apollo 11 entered lunar orbit and passed round the moon thirty times before the lunar module Eagle, with Armstrong and Aldrin on board, separated from the command module Columbia. On July 21st the lunar module touched down on the Moon's surface, and Armstrong's first words were "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

A TV camera mounted on Eagle showed Armstrong climb down the ladder. As he stood on the moon he spoke his famous line, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for

For the next two and a half hours they took core samples of the moon, made notes and took photos. With gravity on the moon much less than on Earth, the two astronauts tried out methods for moving around, including two-footed kangaroo hops. Together, Armstrong and Aldrin planted the US flag on the Moon's surface. They then took a call from President Nixon who greeted them with, "Hello, Neil and Buzz. I'm talking to you by telephone from the Oval Room at the White House, and this certainly has to be the most historic telephone call ever made. I just can't tell you how proud we all are."

A number of items were left on the Moon included a lunar plaque with the inscription Here Men From The Planet Earth First Set Foot Upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. We Came in Peace For All Mankind.

Buzz Aldrin retired from NASA after the moon landing, to continue his career in the US Air Force. He retired in 1972 after problems with depression and alcoholism, which he wrote about in his autobiography Return to Earth.

Buzz Aldrin married Lois Cannon in 1988, and today she manages all of Buzz Aldrin's many enterprises. They are both keen on skiiing & scuba diving.

The was, reportedly, some hostility between Armstrong and Aldrin beforehand as to which of them would be the first to set foot on the moon. Aldrin diplomatically remarked, "It would have been unacceptable for the commander to sit up in the lunar module while his co-pilot made the first historic step on the moon."

A famous incident occurred in 2002 when Aldrin punched 'conspiracy theorist', Bart Sibrel, who claimed that the moon landings were a hoax. Sibrel blocked Aldrin's path, calling him "a coward and a liar" outside a Beverly Hills hotel. Sibrel complained to police, but the authorities refused to press charges against Aldrin.

The Saturn rocket lifts off with Apollo XI

Aldrin carries out experiments on the Moon - the lunar module 'Eagle' is in the background

Buzz Aldrin in US Air Force dress uniform

Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins & Neil Armstrong looking at a sample of moon rock that they had brought back to earth with them

Armstrong's photograph of Aldrin descending the lunar module's steps to the Moon's surface

The Lunar Module 'Eagle' on its way to land on the Moon, as seen from the Command Module 'Columbia'

Buzz Aldrin on board the Lunar Module 'Eagle'

The Apollo XI Command Module after splashdown

Buzz Aldrin salutes the American flag after landing on the Moon

Buzz Aldrin speaking at the Olender Foundation Awards presentation at the Kennedy Centre, Washington in December 2000

Buzz Aldrin with his wife Lois and Ronald Reagan

Buzz Aldrin with a Topping model of a lunar module

I met Buzz Aldrin at Autographica in London in October 2007. He signed a photograph for me and then let me have my photograph taken with him.

wings, he flew Sabre Jets in many combat missions during the Korean War.

times with Aldrin doing a 2 hours

and 20 minutes tethered space walk during the flight.

Buzz Aldrin's Gemini 12 space walk

Armstrong, Collins & Aldrin in their quarantine trailer on board USS Hornet, being greeted by President Richard Nixon

saying, "Beautiful. Beautiful. Magnificent desolation."

mankind." Aldrin joined Armstrong

Ciaran's photograph signed by Buzz Aldrin

Armstrong's photograph of Aldrin descending

the lunar module to the Moon's surface

The lunar plaque which was left behind on the Moon

Apollo XI splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24th 1969. The astronauts were recovered by helicopter and immediately put in quarantine, in a special trailer on board the recovery ship USS Hornet. The quarantine was necessary in case the astronauts had brought back any bacteria from the moon. After three weeks in isolation, the men were released, and parades were held in their honour including a 'ticker-tape' welcome in New York.

President Nixon honoured each astronaut with the Medal of Freedom, the USA's highest award. The astronauts began a 45-day 'Giant Leap' tour to 45 different countries, meeting many world leaders including the Queen.

Many countries issued special stamps and coins to mark the first manned moon landing.