He landed on the Moon with Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969, becoming the second person to set foot on the Moon. Born at Montclair, New Jersey, he graduated from the US Military Academy, West Point, New York, and flew for the airforce in Korea and West Germany. He received a PhD for his thesis on orbital mechanics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1963. During the Gemini 12 flight with James Lovell 1966, Aldrin spent 51/2 hours in outer space without any ill effects. His "walk" in space set a record for extravehicular activity, and proved that people could work outside an orbiting vehicle. He published Return to Earth with Wayne Warga 1975.
