The second man to walk on the moon has announced his pick for the 2024 presidential election.
Buzz Aldrin, 94, who walked on the lunar surface with Neil Armstrong in 1969, endorsed Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying America needs a “proven, serious, proven leader.”
The legendary astronaut wrote in a speech that Trump’s previous term revived American interest in space and urged NASA to return to the moon and go to Mars.
“Over the years, I have watched our government’s approach to space wax and wane, a fluctuating dynamic that has disappointed me from time to time,” Aldrin wrote.
“But under the first Trump administration, I was impressed by how human space exploration was elevated to a new level and once again became a policy of major importance.”
Buzz Aldrin, 94, who made history with Neil Armstrong when the two set foot on the lunar surface in 1969, has backed Donald Trump, saying America needs a “proven, serious, proven leader as president.”
Trump took a big step into space during his first term, signing an executive order in 2017 to return Americans to the moon and Mars.
The order followed many statements he made about America’s role beyond Earth.
“I will free NASA from the constraint of serving primarily as a logistics agency for activities in low Earth orbit — big deal,” Trump said in 2016.
“Instead, we will refocus the mission on space exploration. Under the Trump administration, Florida and America will lead the way to the stars.”
Aldrin spent much of his life in the space industry, piloting Gemini 12 in 1966 and manning the Apollo 11 lunar module.
“I have dedicated my life to the pursuit of scientific understanding, exploration and a sustainable human presence in space,” he said in the speech.
“The importance of that mission, that calling, runs through every fiber of my being.
Aldrin was present in the Oval Office, alongside the former president, when the National Space Council was reestablished after it was disbanded in 1993.
Buzz Aldrin was one of three astronauts on the 1969 Apollo 11 mission that first landed humans on the moon
“Over the years, I have watched our government’s approach to space wax and wane, a fluctuating dynamic that has disappointed me from time to time.
“But under the first Trump administration, I was impressed by how human space exploration was elevated to a new level and once again became a policy of major importance.”
Trump also reestablished the National Space Council, a body within the Executive Office responsible for space policy and strategy, which was disbanded in 1993.
And Aldrin was present in the Oval Office, alongside the former president, when the department was reestablished.
“Finally, under President Trump, the nation’s defense was strengthened with the creation of the U.S. Space Force — increasingly important as space becomes a contested domain,” the former astronaut wrote.
At the same time, I am excited and enthusiastic about the big steps in the private sector space economy, led by visionaries like Elon Musk.
Musk has also publicly supported Trump, revealing on Wednesday that part of the decision was the former president’s support for space exploration.