Born on January 20, 1930 in Montclair, New Jersey, Buzz Aldrin was the son of Marion Moon and Edwin Aldrin. He graduated third in the Class of 1951 at West Point. Aldrin flew sixty-six combat missions in Korea. After returning to the United States, he received a Doctorate in Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He devised techniques for manned space rendezvous that were used in NASA missions. Buzz Aldrin was chosen by NASA to be an astronaut in late 1963. Aldrin went up into space and, along with Neil Armstrong, became the second man to walk on another world. The Presidential Medal of Freedom was bestowed upon both Armstrong and him.. After returning home, Aldrin married Lois Driggs Cannon. They have six children. In 1993, Aldrin patented a space station design he created. Three years later, he published his first sci-fi novel, Encounter With Tiber. He resides in Sun Valley, Idaho.