The Backstory: Buzz Aldrin: To the Moon and Back

Ever Get the Feeling That Your One Big Moment . . Might Be All There Is? That Was the Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the Second Man to Walk on the Moon . . and as He Shared . . Also the First to Pee on the Moon. But His Return to Earth and the Struggle He Faced Trying to One Up That Footstep on the Lunar Surface, Is an Inspiration.

Feel Free to DM Me If You Have a Story You’d Like Me to Cover . . on Facebook It’s Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, as we continue to sort of process the impact
of the Ortomus II mission around the Moon and the
future of space exploration, we got to take a look
back the impact of a human being physically, emotionally, and
spiritually separating themselves from this planet. Fascinating example of the
impact of that event was Apollo eleven astronaut buzz Aldron,

(00:22):
now ninety six years old. I'm Patty Steele, brilliant, driven
explorer and one of the first men to step foot
on the Moon. Then an alcoholic who admitted to being
the first human to pee on the Moon. That's next
on the backstory. We're back with the backstory. This is

(00:43):
the story of superhuman accomplishment followed by years of depression
and alcoholism, and at the age of ninety six, astronaut
buzz Aldron has come to terms with the journey that
took him to the Moon and the one that followed,
trying to understand its impact on him. Edwin Eugene Aldi
was born January twentieth, nineteen thirty, when airplanes were in

(01:04):
their infancy, much less the dream of space travel. His parents,
ed Senior and his mother, Marion, whose maiden name was
ironically Moon, raised him in Montclair, New Jersey. His dad
actually knew Orville Wright personally. The family had Charles Lindbergh
over for dinner. Buzz says, in his house, greatness wasn't encouraged.

(01:25):
It was mandatory. Failure did not exist as an option.
He went on to school at West Point and at MIT,
and he became an aeronautical engineer and a fighter pilot,
and of course, an astronaut. In July of nineteen sixty nine,
he was the second person to walk on the Moon
after Apollo eleven mission commander Neil Armstrong. For that moment,

(01:47):
he was part of something almost mythic. The entire planet watched,
the Cold War was put on pause, and humanity felt united.
We were part of a bigger universe. As a Presbyterian elder,
Buzz even was the first and only person to hold
a religious ceremony on the Moon. But here's the part.
We don't always think about what happens after you've already

(02:10):
done the most extraordinary thing you or most people will
ever do. In his mind, Buzz went from hero to
now what? After returning to Earth, he and the Apollo
eleven crew were celebrated everywhere. There were endless parades, interviews,
global tours. Everybody considered him a hero, but inside things

(02:31):
started to unravel. Was it the impostor syndrome or maybe
the feeling that it was all downhill from there and
not in a positive sense. He left NASA not long
after that. The structure, the mission, the goal that had
driven him for years was gone. He later described feeling lost.
I mean, think about it. Imagine training your entire life

(02:52):
for one moment and then it's over and you're just
thirty nine years old. In the following years, Buzz stayed
in the public guy. He kept pushing, He kept trying
to top the untoppable, but there were no more missions,
no higher goals, just normal life again, full of questions,
except you're one of the most famous people on earth.

(03:14):
It actually destroyed him. Depression came first, then alcohol, Then
his marriage collapsed, Then his career in the Air Force collapsed.
The guy who stood on the Moon spent his time
drinking alone in his house for almost a decade. Knowing
that trail of events, it's kind of easier to understand
his problems, you know. But this is where the story

(03:36):
takes a turn. Instead of disappearing, Buzz did something unusual
for that era, but it makes sense. As a driven guy,
he decided to talk about it openly. He wrote about
his struggles in books. He spoke about the depression and
addiction at a time when most people kept those things hidden.
That honesty turned into his second act, and it was

(03:58):
equally impactful. Rather than being remembered only as the second
man on the Moon, he turned into something else, a
guy who showed us that even the most accomplished people
can struggle after the spotlight fades. So Buzz rebuilt his life.
He got sober, He became an advocate for understanding addiction
and mental illness, but also for space exploration, pushing from

(04:22):
missions to Mars long before it was mainstream. He stayed
involved in science, education and public life. He didn't stop growing,
and maybe most importantly for us and him, he reframed
his identity. He wasn't just the guy who followed Armstrong.
He was a pioneer, a survivor, and somebody who had

(04:43):
lived through both extremes. Standing on the Moon and struggling
back on Earth, he gave all of us who struggled
to find a path forward hope. Buzz Aldron didn't just
explore space he faced something just as difficult afterward, figuring
out who he was was. When the mission was over,
he became human, even admitting that while he was the

(05:05):
second guy to walk on the Moon, he was also
the first to hold a religious service, and, in keeping
with his sense of humor, the first guy to pee
on the moon. What's great about buzz Aldron's story is
that he's taught us that life isn't about our one
giant moment, it's what happens afterwards. I hope you like
the Backstory with Patty Steele. Please leave a review. I'd

(05:28):
love it if you'd subscriber follow for free to get
new episodes delivered automatically. Also feel free to dm me
if you have a story you'd like me to cover.
On Facebook, It's Patty Steele and on Instagram Real Patty Steele.
I'm Patty Steele. The Backstory is a production of iHeartMedia,

(05:49):
Premiere Networks, the Elvis Durant Group, and Steel Trap Productions.
Our producer is Mike Pieseglia. Our writer is Jake Kushner.
New episodes are out every Tuesday and Friday, and feel
free to reach out to me with comments and story
suggestions on Instagram at reel Patty Steele and on Facebook
at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the Backstory with

(06:10):
Patty Steele, the pieces of history you didn't know you
needed to know.