Buzz Aldrin
The second person to ever set foot on the moon, he's the star of a Sundance Award—winning film about the Apollo crews. Buzz Aldrin will now take your questions.
How well were the Apollo crews portrayed in the documentary In the Shadow of the Moon? —Russell Sinclaire, SAN FRANCISCO
It delivers a humanness to what took place 40 years ago when a few of us were in very enviable positions. The astronauts are now 75 or older, so they have had a lot of time to reflect and develop a good sense of humor about it.
Have we missed out by not going back to the moon in the past three decades? —David Bland, ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
We went six years without even flying an American in space, from 1975 to 1981. That is unforgivable and inconsistent with a nation that landed six times on the moon. It is all due to the difficulty of a transition from space travel to space stations to deeper space explorations. We are going to have void time.
Are you upset about the ad hoc way NASA settled who would be first to step on the moon? —Robert Newman, DALLAS
I felt we needed a decision to proceed with training, so I sort of forced the issue. What NASA did was absolutely correct. It would have been unacceptable for the commander to sit up in the lunar module while his co-pilot made the first historic step on the moon.
Were you ever worried about conspiracy theorists who claim the moon landing was fake? —Ben Gray, PERTH, AUSTRALIA
I was not concerned, but I lost my patience once and socked a guy, which created great publicity and cost me some legal fees. You are not going to change the minds of people who are looking for attention.
Why did you leave NASA after returning home from the moon? —Gene McHugh, HOLLYWOOD, MD
It would have been pretty hard to top the moon landing. Neil Armstrong elected to stay with NASA in aeronautics, and I, being more of a military person, left to continue my career in the U.S. Air Force. There were a lot of other people who wanted to walk on the moon, and we didn't want to be greedy.
What contributed to the depression and alcoholism you experienced after Apollo 11? —Randy Roach, FATE, TEXAS
Returning to Earth was challenging for me. I was a celebrity on a pedestal, and I had to live up to that. Like actors and writers who are on and off again in terms of employment, I had a very unstructured life. So the alcoholism and depression, which I inherited, were ripe to flourish.
Given what happened with Lisa Nowak, should astronauts be held to a higher standard? —Chad Miller, COLOGNE, GERMANY
Astronauts are not superhuman. They lead ordinary lives and have varied personalities. I think Nowak should be admired for traveling across the country at night and not getting out of her car to put in gas or go to the restroom. It is not excusable, but it is understandable for an achiever to fall into a trap.
Do you believe in the existence of extraterrestrial life? —Daniel Nebro ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
I am an evolutionist, and since there is no evidence, I don't know. When I was a little kid we only knew about our nine planets. Since then, we've downgraded Pluto but have discovered that other solar systems and stars are common. So life is probably quite prevalent.
Have you ever considered running for political office, as John Glenn did? —Edo Steinberg, BEERSHEBA, ISRAEL
Yes, but the idea wasn't very attractive. Eighty percent of people thought I was doing the right thing during the Korean War shooting down MiG-15s, and probably 95% were supportive of the moon landing. Why risk such a career so that only 51% of people will tolerate me and 49% will want to get rid of me?
Why did you decide to get a face-lift at age 77? —Anna Clark, BLOOMINGTON, IND.
It's kind of funny, but I've been exposed to a lot of G-forces as a fighter pilot and in space. That caused a sagging jowl that needed some attention.
Read these extra questions. For more from Aldrin and to subscribe to the 10 Questions podcast on iTunes, go to time.com/10questions