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Adams, Walter Sydney. (1876-1956)
This American astronomer was the director of the Mount Wilson Observatory from 1923 until 1946. In 1914 he found that the nature of the dark lines in a star's spectrum shows whether it is a giant or dwarf star. Adams developed a technique for measuring the distance to stars called the 'method of spectroscopic parallaxes'. In 1915 Adams examined the companion star of Sirius and found that its surface is white-hot, making it the first white dwarf to be identified. In 1925 he discovered that this star's light shows a slight redshift caused by high gravity. Seven years later he showed that the atmosphere of Venus contains of carbon dioxide. Adams is best known for his important spectroscopic studies of the stars and planets.

Aldrin, Edwin Eugene. (1930- )
Edwin Aldrin was the Lunar module pilot of the Apollo 11 crew which made the first lunar landing on July 20, 1969. He was selected as an astronaut in 1963 because he was a qualified engineer. His first flight in space was on the Gemini 12 mission in 1966, during which he made a two hour space walk. On July 21, 1969, Aldrin joined the crew commander Neil Armstrong on the lunar surface where they had a two hour moon walk. Aldrin practiced ways of moving under the low lunar gravity, helped set up experiments, and collected rocks. Like the other crew members of Apollo 11, Aldrin left the astronaut corps after returning to Earth.