His mother's maiden name was Moon. Buzz Aldrin, it seems, was destined from birth to travel to the rocky sphere more than 200,000 miles from planet Earth.
Today he says of being on the moon: "I was exhilarated but guarded. . . . I knew that our every move and word were on display to the entire world, even though we were the only living creatures within a quarter of a million miles."
While walking on the moon, Aldrin uttered the words "magnificent desolation," describing the monochromatic vastness of the cratered surface.
Those words became the title of his new memoir, in which he lays bare his adult life -- from Apollo 11 and beyond.
The return to Earth was hard. Alcoholism, depression and divorce riddled his post-moonwalk life.
He considers the wherewithal to climb out of dark moments among his great triumphs, he writes.
Aldrin, now 79, has written children's books and science fiction, and made documentaries.
He's even tried his hand at rapping, recently laying down tracks with Snoop Dogg and Talib Kweli: "Moonwalking is such a trip," he says at the microphone, accompanied by background crooners.
Aldrin talked about his new book, his Twitter feed and the possibility of living on Mars.
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What's your life like now?
It's busier than it's ever been. That includes training and isolated appearances.
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You spent 21 hours on the moon. Do you ever wish you could go back?
No. I went there once and had the lucky brass ring. I was at the right place at the right time. Combined with the turmoil I had returning to the Air Force and having to deal with other inherited and cultivated traits, it was a tough return.
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What's the future of the U.S. space program?
Without a doubt, I think I have the prescribed plan of what we should do now in the space program. When you have a fork in the road, you take it. We had a fork in the road with the Columbia accident.
We learned lessons from that accident, and the implementation of those lessons is the road to take.
The first time, we got to the moon too soon because we were in a race with the Soviets. It was continuous and there was no gap -- from Sputnik to Apollo. Now, after the Challenger and Columbia, it's as if we have said: That's enough! We have to take our experience and go to the next level.
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In one of your chapters you envision space hotels on Mars. Do you think human beings could live on Mars? Should we send people there?
