Buzz Aldrin is the man. And not just because he was the pilot for the first manned lunar landing in history. Or even because, at 72 years old, he knocked a guy out for calling the moon landing a fake. But, because, at 84 years old, the guy speaks with the eloquence and precision of a highly-advanced machine.
Related: Buzz Aldrin's Roadmap to Mars.
The following are some tidbits from his Reddit AMA today that explain why he remains, as ever, totally boss:
His favorite food is "hot coffee for the first time in space." "It wasn't Tang. But the mini-shrimp were edible when squeezed through the plastic bag!"
He approves of Bryan Cranston's portrayal of him. "Very good training for him! Enjoyable and welcome publicity for me."
When asked whether landing on the moon or punching a moon-landing denier in the face was more satisfying, he laughed and said "Both created considerable, favorable support of my activities." "However, one involved the relationship between human beings, and the other a historic giant leap for mankind."
When one user mentioned that there was no Plan B to get him off the moon and asked what his plan if he'd been simply left to die, Aldrin cooly responded: "To continue trying to fix the problem until the lack of oxygen caused us go to sleep."
They went in feeling pretty good about coming back. "As a member of the crew, we discussed ahead of time, before launch, the probabilities of successful landing, knowing the many things that would allow a successful return, and our nominal guess number was 60 percent success in landing, but throughout, an overall 95 percent of returning."
Related: Buzz Aldrin to NASA: U.S. Space Policy Is on the Wrong Track.
This is his hauntingly poetic description of first going into space:
"The black sky was different, especially on the surface of the moon. Because from earth, the surrounding light is visible when looking at the night sky. In space, the sun is always affecting the night sky. But on the surface of the moon, the sun's light gave a pronounced velvet-like sheen, such that no stars were visible, especially in the vicinity of the earth. The stars were visible en route, but away from the sun, the stars were very visible, but on the surface of the moon, the ambient light enabled stars to be seen through the telescope but not through the visor cover on the eyes."
His response to being asked whether or not the suit was…complicated: "The mobility was limited by the flexibility of the suit, and its operation in 1/6 gravity simulation in neutral buoyancy created too much viscous drag. Actual mobility was quite easier than anticipated."
He's very excited about the evolution of special orbital dynamics that facilitate transporting humans between Earth and Mars. He also hopes he and his son (the President of the Moon Express) can develop a spacecraft with enough fuel capacity to go to Mars' moon, Phobos, on the 50th anniversary of the Moon.
He does not like video games. "I'm not even very good at Pac-Man! And I'm trying to understand the great fascination with the lack of realism in most games that involve competitiveness resulting in violence."
This is what inspires him: "My commitment at 17 years old to serve my country at West Point. On the more futuristic end, to support moving systems for all exploration and all innovation for the benefit of humankind throughout the universe (*please read my science fiction, Encounter with Tiber)."
He wants to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween. Apparently, he's already put in a request for the mask and headpiece.
