Buzz Aldrin, a name synonymous with space exploration and human ambition, earned the nickname “Dr. Rendezvous” during his tenure with NASA.
Aldrin’s career was exceptional from the beginning. Born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., he became known as “Buzz” early on, thanks to his sister’s pronunciation of the word “brother.” However, his path to space fame was paved with more than just a memorable nickname. Aldrin graduated third in his class from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and laterflew 66 combat missions in Korea.
As the decade of the 1950s drew to a close,Aldrin’s own father had earned a doctorate from MIT. Why shouldn’t Buzz apply to MIT himself? He did and was accepted for study in 1959.
Aldrin found he enjoyed academic life. He knew that if he stayed long enough to earn a doctorate, he would likely lose out on test pilot school—and to that point all US astronauts had test pilot experience. But he also thought that learning might prove more valuable to the space program in the future than test flying skill, and in that he was prescient. He went for his PhD.
He chose for his thesis an examination of a man-controlled rendezvous between space vehicles. He knew NASA intended computers to control any such maneuver, but what if the computers failed and a human had to take control? They had to know what to calculate and how to do it. Eventually the work was titled “Line of Sight Guidance Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous.” Its first page was clear evidence of its author’s desires. Aldrin dedicated the thesis to “The men in the astronaut program.”
He moved into a job in Los Angeles for USAF’s Space Systems Division. Eventually, he began planning Department of Defense experiments to be carried on Gemini flights. Meanwhile, he reapplied to NASA.
Aldrin became an essential contributor to the Gemini and Apollo programs. He set a record for spacewalk length as a crew member of Gemini 12 in 1966, was one of the first men to land on the moon, and was the second to walk on its surface as part of the historic Apollo 11 mission of 1969. Overall he logged 289 hours and 53 minutes in space.
He returned to the Air Force following his 1971 resignation from NASA and was eventually named chief of the Air Force Test Pilot School. Beset by depression and alcohol dependence, Aldrin retired in 1972 with 21 years of Active Duty service.
Relevant articles:
– The Origins of Buzz Aldrin’s “Dr. Rendezvous” Moniker and His Stellar Legacy