Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr. was born on 20 January 1930, in Montclair, New Jersey USA, of German, Scottish and Swedish ancestry. Buzz is an engineer and former astronaut, best known to be one of the first two men to land on the moon in 1969, an achievement he shares with Neil Armstrong. He is also a former US Air Force officer and all his endeavors have helped put his net worth to where it is now.
How rich is Buzz Aldrin? As of mid-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $10 million, mostly earned through a prestigious military and NASA career. After his success in the military, he was given the chance to be an astronaut. He’s also appeared in television shows and films, and all of these have helped ensure his wealth.
Buzz Aldrin Net Worth $10 Million
Aldrin’s father was a military man, and Buzz, after matriculating from Montclair High School, he would turn down an offer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to join the military and attend West Point. His nickname came from his sister mispronouncing brother as buzzer and later he would legally change his name to Buzz. He graduated from West Point with a degree in mechanical engineering, but then became a jet fighter pilot and served during the Korean War with the rank of Second Lieutenant and flew 66 combat missions. After the war, he became an instructor at Nellis Air Force Base, and then an aide at the United States Air Force Academy. His education within the military continued with his completion of Squadron Officer School, and he would later become a flight commander. Eventually, he attended MIT for graduate studies, completing a Dsc degree in Astronautics, and was later selected to become an astronaut.
When Buzz joined NASA during 1963, he was a part of the third group of Astronauts. They were assigned to be the backup crew for Gemini 9 and then later he became the pilot of Gemini 12. He was then selected to be a part of Apollo 11 with Neil Armstrong, becoming the second man to walk on the moon, and the first person to urinate on the moon. He originally wanted to be the first man to walk on the moon, but many factors, including the fact that Neil Armstrong was the commander, decided otherwise. He held a religious ceremony on the moon, taking communion. Later on he would come to disagree with his actions, informing others that the moon landing was meant for all mankind and all religions.
Buzz left NASA in 1971 and became the Commandant of the US Air Force Test Pilot School, but a year later retired.
After retirement he published an autobiography “Return to Earth”, and also “Magnificent Desolation”. He subsequently co-authored many books and talked about clinical depression and alcoholism. There was a computer game named after him and it was entitled “Buzz Aldrin’s Race Into Space”. He also did voice work for programs “Futurama” and “The Simpsons”. He appeared in “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, and also made appearances in “Space Brothers” and “Big Bang Theory”.
For his personal life, Buzz has been married three times, firstly to Joan Archer(1954-74) and they had three children. The second marriage was with Beverly Zile(1975-78), and the third to Lois Driggs Cannon in 1988 which ended in divorce during 2012. He has a grandson from one of his daughters. He commented on the death of fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong, stating that he had hoped that they would be together on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, but it was not meant to be.
