Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin turns 90, oldest of four remaining moon walkers

NASA/Robert Markowitz/AP
In this Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 photo made available by NASA, the core stage for the first flight of NASA's Space Launch System rocket undergoes a hot fire test at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss. All four core-stage engines fired for barely a minute, rather than the intended eight minutes. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, NASA blamed the automatic shutdown on the strict test limits. (Robert Markowitz/NASA via AP)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
Roger Brown, of Lockheed Martin inside the Orion Crew capsule Tuesday, June 1, 2010 a ground test article being built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
Kevin Schuengel, Project Engineer, working for Lockheed Martin at the Control Console Tuesday, June 1, 2010 processing a ground test article ,Orion Crew capsule (left,background) being built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times
A test model of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, NASA's next-generation space capsule, is rolled out at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert in October 2008. The Orion vehicle looks strikingly similar to the Apollo space capsule, but it is larger and will carry six astronauts instead of three. NASA is aiming to send Americans to the moon aboard Orion by 2020.
The Associated Press
The NASA Orion space capsule is seen atop a Delta IV rocket ready for a test launch at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The test flight scheduled for Thursday morning, will reach an altitude of 3,600 miles before re-entering the atmosphere (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Associated Press/NASA
In this July 20, 1969 file photo, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, the first men to land on the moon, plant the U.S. flag on the lunar surface. Photo was made by a 16mm movie camera inside the lunar module, shooting at one frame per second.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
A full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle is displayed by NASA on the National Mall March 30, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vehicle is scheduled to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
CBS
Astronaut Scott Kelly, left, and David Pogue during a report this weekend on 'CBS Sunday Morning.'
KARIN COOPER / Associated Press
File photo: Former astronauts, (from left) Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, Fred Haise and James Lovell talk under a statue of the late astronaut and Colorado Sen. Jack Swigert during a dedication ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda Thursday May 22, 1997. The statue of Swigert, dressed in a space suit, stands in the Rotunda alongside dignitaries with tricorner hats, judicial robes or statues posturing with a cane or sword.
John Raoux / Associated Press
The completed mobile launcher structure that will support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) at the Kennedy Space Center is seen, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. SLS is the agency?s new rocket that will launch astronauts in the Orion spacecraft on missions to an asteroid and eventually to Mars. (AP Photo/John Raoux) ORG XMIT: KSC102
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Artemis I leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building as it rolls out to launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Tuesday, August 16, 2022. The rocket is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
FILE / ORLANDO SENTINEL
1969 File photo: Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin, before Apollo 11 launch from Cape Canaveral.
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A piece of the Artemis 1 rocket is transported at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, before sunrise on Thursday, July 30, 2020, after making a 13- day journey on a barge from NASA' s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA along with members from 920th Rescue Wing,Patrick Air Force Base conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral The .Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
John Raoux / Associated Press
A view of the Vehicle Assembly Building, right, is seen from atop the over 400 foot high mobile launcher structure that will support NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) at the Kennedy Space Center is seen, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. SLS is the agency?s new rocket that will launch astronauts in the Orion spacecraft on missions to an asteroid and eventually to Mars. (AP Photo/John Raoux) ORG XMIT: KSC103
NASA / AFP/Getty Images
This picture taken 20 July, 1969, of astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. walking on the surface of the moon near the leg of the Lunar Module (ML) "Eagle" and astronaut Neil Armstrong, during the Apollo 11 extravehicular activity (EVA).
Win McNamee / Getty Images
Schoolchildren gather around a full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle which NASA displayed on the National Mall March 30, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vehicle is scheduled to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
Haraz N. Ghanbari / Associated Press
A full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle is displayed on the National Mall in Washington, Monday, March 30, 2009.
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
File photo: Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut talks Thursday, July 16, 2009 in front of a Apollo 14 crew capsule at the Apollo Treasures Gallery at the Saturn V exhibit, Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center for the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 launch.
RED HUBER / ORLANDO SENTINEL
John Glenn: Return to space. Buzz Aldrin. The former astronaut, who will do television commentary about the flight, talks with reporters at the Space Center.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Lightning lights up clouds over the Vehicle Assembly Building, delaying the rollout of Artemis I, at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Tuesday, August 16, 2022. The rocket is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
/ AP
The new Orion crew capsule, far left, is shown on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
Tim Sloan / AFP / Getty Images
The NASA Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle arrives on a flatbed truck for display on the National Mall March 30, 2009 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. America will send a new generation of explorers to the moon aboard NASA's Orion crew exploration vehicle. Making its first flights to the International Space Station early in the next decade, Orion is part of the Constellation Program to send human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at Port Canaveral of full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule that will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration. Orion will replace the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which NASA plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
At Kennedy Space Center, Fla., a visitor watches as NASA's moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission rolls to the launch pad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft capsule rollouts for the first time Thursday evening on the giant crawler-transporter 2, headed to Launch Complex 39-B. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Apollo astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 and Walt Cunninghan, Apollo 7 ,chat Thursday, July 16, 2009 in front of a Apollo 14 crew capsule at the Apollo Treasures Gallery at the Saturn V exhibit, Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center. Today is the 40 th Anniversary of Apollo 11 launch.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Artemis I, including the Orion spacecraft, shortly before rollout to the launch pad —as seen from the high bay level inside the Vehicle Assembly Building— at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Artemis I is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Craig Bailey / AP
workers gather to watch as the core stage of the SLS rocket is transported to the Vehicle Assembly Building, Thursday afternoon, April 29, 2021, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The core stage will be mated to the other components that comprise Artemis I, currently scheduled to launch in late 2021 or early 2022 (Craig Bailey/Florida Today via AP)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
The new mobile launch tower is prepared to be moved Wednesday, November 16, 2011 to the launch pad to collect data from structural and functional engineering tests. The 355-foot-tall ML is being modified to support the Space Launch System, the heavy lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. It was previously used for the Ares launch as part of the defunct Constellation space program.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
At Kennedy Space Center, Fla., crowds gather to watch NASA's moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission roll to the launch pad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft capsule rollouts for the first time Thursday evening on the giant crawler-transporter 2, headed to Launch Complex 39-B. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
At Kennedy Space Center, Fla., NASA's moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission rolls to the launch pad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft capsule rollouts for the first time Thursday evening on the giant crawler-transporter 2, headed to Launch Complex 39-B. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Haraz N. Ghanbari / Associated Press
With the capitol in the background, a full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle is displayed on the National Mall in Washington, Monday, March 30, 2009.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Artemis I leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building as it rolls out to launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Tuesday, August 16, 2022. The rocket is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Tim Sloan / AFP / Getty Images
The NASA Orion crew exploration vechicle arrives on a flatbed truck for display on the National Mall March 30, 2009 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vechicle is targeted to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Media and social influencers tour the barge Pegasus that will transport the core stage and engines of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) that will be used in the Artemis 1 mission, at the NASA Michoud Assembly Center in New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
The new mobile launch tower is prepared to be moved Wednesday, November 16, 2011 to the launch pad to collect data from structural and functional engineering tests. The 355-foot-tall ML is being modified to support the Space Launch System, the heavy lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. It was previously used for the Ares launch as part of the defunct Constellation space program.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
A full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle is displayed by NASA on the National Mall March 30, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vehicle is scheduled to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin celebrate space ranger Buzz Lightyear historic space mission with a ticker tape parade Friday, October 2, 2009 at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. The 12- inch tall action figure spent more than 15 months aboard the International Space Station and returned to Earth on September 11, 2009. This was a joint effort by NASA and Disney to launch new efforts to encourage students to pursue studies in science and engineering. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel)
Jude Guidry/NASA via The New York Times
In an image provided by NASA, the core stage of NASA‚Äôs Artemis rocket, which would take astronauts to the moon, at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans in January 2020. NASA announced on April 30 that it had picked three designs for spacecraft to take astronauts back to the moon, from SpaceX, Blue Origin, and one led by Dynetics of Huntsville, Alabama.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
Schoolchildren gather around a full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle which NASA displayed on the National Mall March 30, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vehicle is scheduled to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
/ AP
The new Orion crew capsule, far left, is shown on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
The new mobile launch tower, right, is on the move Wednesday, November 16, 2011 about to pass by the Vehicle Assembly Building, center, headed to the launch pad to collect data from structural and functional engineering tests. The 355-foot-tall ML is being modified to support the Space Launch System, the heavy lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. It was previously used for the Ares launch as part of the defunct Constellation space program.
/ AP
The new Orion crew capsule with parachutes deployed is shown after it was catapulted into the air on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
NEIL ARMSTRONG, Associated Press
In this July 20, 1969 file photo, Astronaut Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. poses for a photograph beside the U.S. flag deployed on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Artemis I leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building as it rolls out to launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Tuesday, August 16, 2022. The rocket is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
The new mobile launch tower is prepared to be moved Wednesday, November 16, 2011 to the launch pad to collect data from structural and functional engineering tests. The 355-foot-tall ML is being modified to support the Space Launch System, the heavy lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. It was previously used for the Ares launch as part of the defunct Constellation space program.
/ AP
The new Orion crew capsule is catapulted into the air on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
HO / AFP/Getty Images
Handout portrait taken in July 1969 shows US astronaut Buzz Aldrin (born Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr.), Lunar Module pilot on the Apollo 11 moon landing mission. With one small step off a ladder, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, before the eyes of hundreds of millions of awed television viewers worldwide. With that step, he placed mankind's first footprint on an extraterrestrial world and gained instant hero status. Joined by fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Armstrong spent about two and a half hours exploring the landscape around the landing site.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
Artemis I and the Orion spacecraft shortly before rollout to the launch pad —as seen from the high bay level inside the Vehicle Assembly Building— at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Launch Complex 39, Tuesday, August 16, 2022. Artemis I is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
After rolling out overnight, Artemis I at launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Wednesday, August 17, 2022. The rocket is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on August 29. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
Kevin Schuengel, Project Engineer working for Lockheed Martin at the Control Console Tuesday, June 1, 2010 processing a ground test article ,Orion Crew capsule (left,background) being built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.
/ AP
The new Orion crew capsule with parachutes deployed is shown after it was catapulted into the air on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA along with members from 920th Rescue Wing,Patrick Air Force Base conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral The .Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA along with members from 920th Rescue Wing,Patrick Air Force Base (background) conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral The .Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
AP
This image made available on Feb. 15, 2017 by NASA shows an artist's concept of the launch of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule. On Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, NASA said it is weighing the risk of adding astronauts to the first flight of its new megarocket. (NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center via AP)
JUDE GUIDRY/Getty
This NASA photo released on January 6, 2020 shows NASAs powerful new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which will send astronauts a quarter million miles from Earth to lunar orbit at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. - The agency is committed to landing American astronauts, including the first woman and the next man, on the Moon by 2024. Through the agencys Artemis lunar exploration program, we will use innovative new technologies and systems to explore more of the Moon than ever before.On January 1, 2020, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted: "Making progress! The massive @NASA_SLS core stage is moving to Building 110 at the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana. There it will be readied for the Pegasus barge and its trip to @NASAStennis. Thank you to the @NASA team for working through the holidays!" (Photo by Jude Guidry / NASA / AFP) (Photo by JUDE GUIDRY/NASA/AFP via Getty Images)
ALICIA J. WAGNER / ORLANDO SENTINEL
Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong (from left), Buzz Aldrin, Gene Cernan and Walter Cunningham answer questions about their missions at Cape Canaveral on Friday, July 16 2004.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
A piece of the Artemis 1 rocket is transported at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., before sunrise Thursday, July 30, 2020, after making a 13-day journey on a barge from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The section is a stage adapter for NASA's massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which is under development for crewed lunar flights in the Artemis mission, with future plans for possible human missions to Mars. The Artemis 1 launch is currently scheduled for November, 2021. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
At Kennedy Space Center, Fla., NASA's moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission rolls to the launch pad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft capsule rollouts for the first time Thursday evening on the giant crawler-transporter 2, headed to Launch Complex 39-B. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber, TNS
A Delta IV heavy rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 at launch complex 37B at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA along with members from 920th Rescue Wing,Patrick Air Force Base conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral The .Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press
A model of the Orion capsule sits in the control room of the wind-tunnel at Langley Air Force base. This was used in testing of the Space Launch System rocket that will eventually be used to send people to Mars.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
Roger Brown, of Lockheed Martin inside the Orion Crew capsule Tuesday, June 1, 2010 a ground test article being built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
The new mobile launch tower is prepared to be moved Wednesday, November 16, 2011 to the launch pad to collect data from structural and functional engineering tests. The 355-foot-tall ML is being modified to support the Space Launch System, the heavy lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. It was previously used for the Ares launch as part of the defunct Constellation space program.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
At Kennedy Space Center, Fla., dusk sets as NASA's moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission rolls to the launch pad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft capsule rollouts for the first time Thursday evening on the giant crawler-transporter 2, headed to Launch Complex 39-B. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
At Kennedy Space Center, Fla., NASA's moon rocket for the Artemis 1 mission rolls to the launch pad, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Known as the Space Launch System (SLS), the mega-rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft capsule rollouts for the first time Thursday evening on the giant crawler-transporter 2, headed to Launch Complex 39-B. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA along with members from 920th Rescue Wing,Patrick Air Force Base conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral The .Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
Tim Sloan / AFP / Getty Images
The NASA Orion crew exploration vehicle arrives on a flatbed truck for display on the National Mall March 30, 2009 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vehicle is targeted to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA. along with members from 920th Rescue Wing, Patrick Air Force Base conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral. The Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
Schoolchildren gather around a full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle which NASA displayed on the National Mall March 30, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Orion crew exploration vehicle is scheduled to begin carrying humans to the International Space Station in 2015.
The Associated Press
NASA's Orion spacecraft test vehicle sits in the well deck of the USS Anchorage at the Port of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014. NASA, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy will conduct recovery tests for the capsule in the Pacific Ocean, simulating its return from a space mission. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
In front of a Space Shuttle Engine (left) and the Orion capsule (right)President Barack Obama announces a $ 40 million multi-agency effort to help some 9,000 Kennedy Space Center jobs when the shuttle program retires. Sen. Bill Nelson (right) is seen on stage. The NASA Space Conference held at the Kennedy Space Center.
Haraz N. Ghanbari / Associated Press
A full-size mockup of the Orion crew exploration vehicle is displayed on the National Mall in Washington, Monday, March 30, 2009.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
After completing its second rollout overnight Sunday, Artemis 1 —the NASA moonshot rocket— stands at launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Monday, June 6, 2022. The 322-foot-tall rocket stack includes the Orion spacecraft and made the 4.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad in 11 hours. NASA is targeting a wet rehearsal for Artemis 1 on June 19. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Johnny Green / Associated Press
American Astronaut, Buzz Aldrin poses with his book, Magnificent Desolation - The Long Journey Home From The Moon, as part of London's Literature Festival outside Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, Friday July 3, 2009. Aldrin will be speaking about his lunar landing in 1969 and his trials thereafter, at an event at the Royal Festival Hall, Saturday 4 July.
Red Huber, MCT
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
The new mobile launch tower is prepared to be moved Wednesday, November 16, 2011 to the launch pad to collect data from structural and functional engineering tests. The 355-foot-tall ML is being modified to support the Space Launch System, the heavy lift rocket that will launch astronauts farther into space than ever before. It was previously used for the Ares launch as part of the defunct Constellation space program.
Red Huber, Orlando Sentinel
NASA along with members from 920th Rescue Wing,Patrick Air Force Base conducted a sea worthiness test Wednesday, April 8, 2009 of a full-size mockup of the Orion Crew capsule at Port Canaveral The Orion capsule will become America's primary vehicle for human space exploration, replacing the space shuttle after it is retired in 2010. The capsule is part of the Constellation program which plans to send astronauts back to the moon and Mars.
Red Huber, TNS
A Delta IV heavy rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches Friday, Dec. 5, 2014 at launch complex 37B at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Craig Fritz, Associated Press
The new Orion crew capsule is catapulted into the air on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research.
Red Huber / Orlando Sentinel
2009 file photo: Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut (left) talks Thursday, July 16, 2009 at the Apollo Treasures Gallery at the Apollo/ Saturn V Center, Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center for the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 launch.
/ AP
The new Orion crew capsule is catapulted into the air on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., during a test of Orion's launch-abort system, which will whisk astronauts and the capsule to safety in case of a problem on the launch pad, such as a fire, or during the climb to orbit. The Orion capsule was originally designed to take astronauts back to the moon. But President Obama in February killed NASA's $100 billion plans to return to the moon, redirecting the money for new rocket technology research. (AP Photo/Craig Fritz)
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel
After completing its second rollout overnight Sunday, Artemis 1 —the NASA moonshot rocket— stands at launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Monday, June 6, 2022. The 322-foot-tall rocket stack includes the Orion spacecraft and made the 4.4-mile journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the pad in 11 hours. NASA is targeting a wet rehearsal for Artemis 1 on June 19. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

By Richard Tribou | rtribou@orlandosentinel.com | Orlando Sentinel

PUBLISHED: January 20, 2020 at 6:01 p.m. | UPDATED: May 8, 2023 at 9:18 a.m.

One of 12 men to ever walk on the moon has now made it around the sun 90 times.

Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., better known to the world as Buzz Aldrin, who followed Neil Armstrong onto the lunar surfaces as part of the Apollo 11 landing in 1969 as a 39-year-old, turned 90 years old on Jan. 20, 2020.

Aldrin, no stranger to the spotlight in the years since the landing, took to Twitter on Monday morning to point out his unique take on the numbers, and also look ahead to the future.

“Today is a special day. When asked for my birth date, I chuckle and say 1-20-30. Now, after circling the sun for 90 years, today is 1-2020. I came into this world in NJ on 1-20-30, and my mother was Marion Moon Aldrin and my father Edwin Aldrin. Here’s to 1-2025!” reads the post.

Many bade him happy birthday in reply, including Apollo 11 crewmate Michael Collins who said, “The big 9-0! Hope you are as hale and hearty as ever! And stay that way!”

Others were amused that his mother’s maiden name was “Moon.”

Aldrin is the oldest of the remaining living men who walked on the moon. The other three are 87-year-old David Scott (Apollo 15), 84-year-old Charlie Duke (Apollo 16) and 84-year-old Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17).

The last of the eight other moon walkers to pass away was Alan Bean in May 2018 who flew on Apollo 12. The others were Orlando’s John Young (Apollo 16) who died in January 2018, Eugene Cernan (Apollo 17) in January 2017, Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14) in 2016, the first man on the moon Neil Armstrong (Apollo 11) in 2012, Pete Conrad (Apollo 12) in 1999, Alan Shepard (Apollo 14) in 1998, and Jim Irwin (Apollo 15) in 1991.

Of the men who flew to the moon, but didn’t land, Bean’s command module pilot Richard “Dick” Gordon also passed away recently in November 2017. Other command module pilots that have died include Stuart Roosa (Apollo 14) in 1994 and Ronald Evans (Apollo 17) in 1990.

Apollo 11’s command module pilot Michael Collins is still alive at 89 as is two of three members of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission: 91-year-old Commander Jim Lovell and 86-year-old would-have-been lunar module pilot Fred Haise Jr. Apollo 13’s command module pilot Jack Swigert died at the age of 51 in 1982. Also still alive are both 87-year-old Alfred Worden (Apollo 15) and 83-year-old Ken Mattingly (Apollo 16), who was supposed to be in the command module for Apollo 13, but was replaced by Swigert.

Also still alive is 89-year-old Thomas Stafford, who was commander of Apollo 10 in May 1969, which flew to the moon with Cernan and Young, but did not land on the moon. And all three members of the crew of Apollo 8, which was the first mission to the moon but did not land, are still alive as well: Lovell, 91-year-old Frank Borman and 86-year-old William Anders.

So in total, only four of 12 moon walkers are still with us, and of the 24 men including moon walkers who have flown to the moon, only 12 remain. Cernan was the last man on the moon, leaving on Dec. 14, 1972.

NASA plans to return to the moon with the first woman, and possibly even two, with the third Artemis Program mission with a target of landing in 2024. The Artemis missions will use NASA’s Space Launch System rocket, the first of which is currently in Mississippi for final testing before making its way to Kennedy Space Center sometime between July and October of this year.

Artemis I will be an uncrewed mission followed by the crewed Artemis II that will actually fly to the moon with astronauts in the Orion capsule atop the the SLS rocket in either 2022 or 2023 with Artemis III in 2024.

If and when NASA is successful, Aldrin will be 94 years old and the youngest of the moon walkers will be 89.