Everybody remembers Neil Armstrong. It’s the "one small step" thing, the grainy black-and-white footage, and the fact that he was the first guy to climb down that ladder in July 1969. But then there’s the other guy. People often struggle to remember the name of who was the second man to walk on the moon, even though his face is actually the one you see in almost all the famous photos. That man was Buzz Aldrin.
He wasn't just a "backup." Honestly, calling him the second man feels a bit like calling George Harrison the second guitarist of the Beatles. It’s technically true, but it misses the entire point of how the engine actually worked. Aldrin was a PhD from MIT—the "Dr. Rendezvous" of the astronaut corps—and without his specific expertise in orbital mechanics, the Eagle might never have linked back up with the command module.
The moon is a lonely, dead place. Aldrin called it "magnificent desolation." That phrase perfectly captures the vibe of the lunar surface. While Armstrong was the stoic commander, Aldrin was the intellectual, the scientist, and, surprisingly, the first person to ever take a "space selfie."
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The Weird Logic of Who Goes First
You’d think it was a simple coin toss. It wasn't.
In previous Gemini missions, the pilot (the junior officer) was usually the one who went outside for the spacewalk while the commander stayed inside the ship. Naturally, Aldrin thought he’d be the first one out the door for Apollo 11. He even advocated for it. But NASA’s senior management, including legends like Deke Slayton and Chris Kraft, decided the commander should lead the way. They argued it was a matter of protocol and prestige.
There’s also a much more practical, almost silly reason why who was the second man to walk on the moon ended up being the second man: the door. The way the Lunar Module (LM) was designed, the hatch opened inward toward the pilot's side. To get out first, Aldrin would have had to literally climb over Armstrong while wearing a bulky, pressurized suit in a space the size of a broom closet.
It just wasn't happening. Armstrong had a clear shot to the exit.
The Man Behind the Gold Visor
Here is a fun fact that bugs a lot of people once they realize it. Almost every high-quality photo of an astronaut on the moon from Apollo 11 is Buzz Aldrin. Why? Because Neil Armstrong was the one holding the expensive Hasselblad camera.
Armstrong was busy documenting the site and taking technical shots. Aldrin was the primary subject. In the most famous shot—the one where you can see the Lunar Module reflected in the gold visor—that’s Buzz. He’s standing there, slightly slumped, looking like a cosmic explorer. It’s ironic that the man whose name is less famous has the most famous face (or helmet) in history.
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Aldrin wasn't just a passenger, though. He was a pioneer in how we actually move in space. Before he joined NASA, he wrote a thesis at MIT about manned orbital rendezvous. At the time, NASA didn't really know how to make two ships find each other in the dark of space. Aldrin figured out the math.
A Communion on the Lunar Surface
Before he stepped out onto the dust, Aldrin did something deeply personal and, at the time, kept relatively quiet. He was an elder at Webster Presbyterian Church, and he brought a small communion kit with him.
He sat there in the 1/6th gravity of the moon, poured a little wine into a chalice, and read from the Book of John. Because of a legal battle NASA was having with an atheist activist named Madalyn Murray O'Hair (over the Apollo 8 crew reading from Genesis), Aldrin was asked not to broadcast his religious ceremony. He did it in silence.
It was a moment of profound human tradition in a place that had never seen life.
Why Buzz Matters More Than You Think
- The Math: He literally pioneered the techniques used for docking spacecraft.
- The Endurance: He performed three EVAs (Extravehicular Activities) during Gemini 12, proving humans could work effectively in zero-G without getting exhausted.
- The Longevity: Long after the Apollo program ended, Aldrin remained the most vocal advocate for going to Mars.
He’s a character. If you’ve seen him in the news lately, you know he’s still got that fire. He famously punched a conspiracy theorist in the face for calling him a liar about the moon landing. He was in his 70s at the time. You have to respect that kind of energy.
The Technical Brilliance of the "Second" Man
Being the second person to walk on the moon didn't mean Aldrin was less busy than Armstrong. While Neil was out collecting the "contingency sample" (a bag of dirt just in case they had to leave suddenly), Buzz was inside checking systems.
Once he got outside, his job was to deploy the EASEP—the Early Apollo Scientific Experiments Package. This included a seismometer to listen for "moonquakes" and a laser ranging retroreflector. That laser reflector is still there. Scientists still bounce lasers off it today to measure the exact distance between the Earth and the Moon.
Aldrin’s movements on the moon were also a study in physics. He experimented with different ways of moving—the "kangaroo hop" and the "cross-over stride." He found that because the moon has no atmosphere and low gravity, your momentum is your biggest enemy. If you start moving, it’s hard to stop.
The Post-Moon Struggle
Life after the moon wasn't easy for the man who was the second man to walk on the moon. While Armstrong retreated into a quiet life of teaching and farming, Aldrin stayed in the spotlight, which brought its own set of problems. He struggled with depression and alcoholism in the 1970s.
It's a heavy thing to realize your greatest achievement happened when you were 39 years old and nothing you do for the rest of your life will ever top it.
But he recovered. He became a pop-culture icon. He voiced characters, appeared on The Big Bang Theory, and wrote books about why we need to get to the Red Planet. He didn't just want to be a museum piece; he wanted to be a bridge to the future.
Surprising Facts About Buzz Aldrin
- His mother’s maiden name was Moon. Seriously. Marion Moon. You couldn't write a better script than that.
- He’s the reason we call them "space selfies." He took a photo of himself with the hatch open during Gemini 12 in 1966.
- He wanted to be the first. He didn't hide it. He was competitive, as most fighter pilots and astronauts are.
- He was a Colonel in the Air Force. He flew 66 combat missions in the Korean War before joining the space program.
Moving Forward: The Legacy of Apollo 11
Understanding who was the second man to walk on the moon helps us understand that space travel isn't a solo sport. It’s a massive, coordinated effort where the "second" person is often doing the heavy lifting on the technical side.
Today, as we look toward the Artemis missions and a return to the lunar surface, Aldrin's influence is everywhere. We aren't just going back to walk around; we are going back to stay, using the orbital mechanics and docking procedures he helped invent over 60 years ago.
If you want to truly appreciate what happened in 1969, look past the first footprint. Look at the guy who was jumping around behind the camera, testing the limits of human movement, and making sure they actually had a way to get back home.
Actionable Insights for Space Enthusiasts
- Study the Gemini Program: To understand how Apollo succeeded, look at Gemini 12. It was Aldrin’s "final exam" where he mastered spacewalking.
- Visit the Smithsonian: If you’re ever in D.C., go see the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia. It puts the scale of their bravery into perspective.
- Track the Lunar Reflectors: Use NASA's LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) images online to see the equipment Aldrin and Armstrong left behind; it’s still visible from orbit.
- Read "Magnificent Desolation": Aldrin’s memoir is a raw look at the highs of the moon and the lows of returning to Earth.
The story of the moon landing is often told as a singular event, a moment frozen in time. But for Buzz Aldrin, it was just the beginning of a lifelong obsession with the stars. He remains one of the few living links to an era when we did the impossible because we decided it was worth the risk. When you think about the moon, remember the man in the gold visor. He wasn't just following Neil; he was paving the way for everyone else.