Legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, expressed sheer amazement at the Artemis II mission launch this week. The 96-year-old watched the spacecraft lift off on Wednesday and marveled at the achievement.
Aldrin’s Enthusiasm for NASA’s Return to the Moon
Steven Barber, a 65-year-old documentary filmmaker and longtime friend of Aldrin, shared that the astronaut has been in high spirits. “Buzz has been watching Artemis closely,” Barber said. “He’s absolutely amazed that they incorporated many of his ideas over the years. He’s giddy about it and kept repeating: ‘Now it’s time to occupy Mars!'”
Aldrin earned iconic status as the second person to step on the lunar surface during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, following Neil Armstrong. Artemis II marks NASA’s first crewed moon mission since the Apollo program’s final flight in December 1972.
Recovery and Renewed Joy After Personal Loss
Last October, Aldrin suffered heartbreak when his fourth wife, Dr. Anca Faur, 66, passed away after a battle with aggressive cancer. Friends grew concerned as he struggled, refusing to eat and questioning how to move forward without her. “I don’t know how I am going to go on without her,” he reportedly said at the time.
However, Aldrin has shown resilience. Barber noted visible joy in his eyes during the launch viewing, with NASA feeds on all day. “To know NASA is returning to the moon decades after he and Neil Armstrong first landed fills Buzz with happiness,” Barber added. “He said: ‘This is fantastic. They are following in our footsteps. It is long overdue.'”
After Faur’s death, Aldrin relocated to a scenic home overlooking the Pacific Ocean in December, supported by three full-time nurses. This change has restored his spark. “He’s a fighter from that unbreakable generation,” Barber said. “His sense of humor is back, and he’s learning to laugh and smile again.”
Aldrin’s Enduring Legacy
Aldrin’s historic moonwalk occurred during his first marriage to Joan Archer, with whom he had three children. That union ended after two decades amid his struggles with alcoholism and personal challenges. In his memoir Return to Earth, he described sinking into depression post-mission, seeking solace in alcohol as fame faded.
Subsequent marriages to Beverly Van Zile and Lois Driggs Cannon also ended. Barber, who met Aldrin at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in 2001, credits him with changing his life. “I was a terrible drunk but seeing Buzz there convinced me to stay,” Barber recalled. Their friendship led Barber to fund the Apollo 11 bronze monument ‘The Eagle Has Landed’ outside Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
“People worldwide instantly recognize his name, from London to Beijing,” Barber emphasized. “He wants everyone to know he’s doing well.”
