In the week before Election Day, celebrities and public figures are coming out of the woodwork to offer their presidential endorsements. Today, space legend Buzz Aldrin released a statement about which candidate he’ll be voting for in the 2024 presidential election and what motivates him to do so.
Apollo Astronaut Buzz Aldrin endorses Donald Trump for president
Buzz Aldrin has endorsed Donald Trump for president. According to Politico, Aldrin cites Trump’s prioritization of space exploration as his motivation.
Aldrin wrote:
“Over time, I have seen our government’s approach to space wax and wane. But under the first Trump Administration, I was impressed to see how human space exploration was elevated, made a policy of high importance again. Under President Trump’s first term, America saw a revitalized interest in space. His Administration reignited national efforts to get back to the Moon, and push on to Mars – programs that continue today. “
Aldrin, now 94, is best known for being the second person to walk on the Moon. However, he had an illustrious and notable career outside of that accomplishment. Aldrin was commissioned as a United States Air Force pilot in 1951 and fought in the Korean War, where he was credited for two MIG kills. After that, he earned his Doctor of Science in astronautics at MIT and was assigned to work on Project Gemini after graduation.
When he first applied to join NASA in 1962, he was turned down because he wasn’t a test pilot. However, that requirement was relaxed in 1963, and he was selected as part of Astronaut Group 3. In 1966, he flew as a pilot and EVA specialist on Gemini 12, the last of the Project Gemini spaceflights.
After his 1969 trip to the Moon on Apollo 11, Aldrin became Commandant of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School. He retired from the Air Force in 1972 at the rank of colonel. Since then, he’s been an advocate for spaceflight and astronomy.
