Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin Jr.

Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin Jr., who
reimagined the potential of human achievement before a
worldwide audience when he walked on the moon, was
born on this day in history, Jan. 20, 1930.

"The sky is not the limit … There are footprints on the
Moon!" the explorer enthused in his 2016 book, "No
Dream Is Too High: Life Lessons From a Man Who Walked
on the Moon."

The Apollo 11 mission was the first in human history to land
men on earth’s satellite, fulfilling a dream as old as humanity
itself. 

This photo of Buzz Aldrin was taken by Neil Armstrong
during the first manned mission to the moon in 1969.

Ronnie Walter Cunningham (March 16, 1932 – January 3, 2023)

Walter Cunningham, the last surviving astronaut from the first
successful crewed space mission in NASA’s Apollo program,
died Tuesday in Houston. He was a lunar module pilot on the 
1968 Apollo 7 mission. NASA confirmed Cunningham’s death
on Twitter.

Apollo 7 crewmates Donn Eisele (at left), Wally Schirra
(center) and Walt Cunningham.  (NASA)

NEW YORK (AP) — Buzz Aldrin’s jacket worn on his historic first
mission to the moon’s surface in 1969 has been auctioned off to
a bidder for nearly $2.8 million.

The $2,772,500 paid for the Apollo 11 Inflight Coverall Jacket is
the highest for any American space-flown artifact sold at auction, according to Sotheby’s, which handled the sale. The unidentified
winning bidder, who participated by phone, outlasted several
others in a bidding that spanned almost 10 minutes.

Buzz Aldrin ( Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.) turned 92 in January.

Tests of a VIPER prototype (Image: NASA)

A new lunar rover is under development by Lockheed Martin
and Goodyear as NASA gears up for a return to the moon.

Unlike the rover first used during the Apollo 15 mission in 1971,
built to last only a few days and for short trips, the new lunar
vehicle is being built for extended use. And this time, it’s not
just for NASA.

Aside from Goodyear, based in Akron, Ohio, and Lockheed
Martin, MDA of Canada will provide its commercial robotic
arm technology for the vehicles.

The companies anticipate having their first vehicle on the
moon’s surface at the same time as NASA’s mission, planned
for 2025.

Apollo 17 mission commander Eugene A. Cernan makes a
short checkout of the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the early
part of the first Apollo 17 extravehicular activity.

On June 3, 1965, Ed White became the first American to walk in
space when he ventured outside the Gemini capsule into the
vacuum of the cosmos. He was among NASA’s Astronaut Group
2, an elite group of nine astronauts selected for the Gemini
program.  (Space)

Edward Higgins White II
(November 14, 1930 – January 27, 1967)