Buzz Aldrin went on Reddit's Ask Me Anything feature on Tuesday to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the landing of the Apollo 11 spacecraft on the moon.
Aldrin, who called himself a "global space statesman," responded to questions covering a wide range of topics that include the moon, Mars and UFOs.
Aldrin's appearance on Reddit AMA is part of a bigger social media campaign that includes a YouTube Channel entitled #Apollo45. Aldrin is promoting the channel to people who want to share their story about the Apollo 11 moon landing, on what the event means to the people and how they were inspired by it.
When Aldrin was asked about the experience on being on the surface of the moon, the astronaut responded by describing the moon as "magnificent desolation." While the technology and unity that human beings had to carry out was magnificent, the moon itself was more desolate than any other place on Earth. He realized that what he was seeing at that moment had not been changed in any way for thousands of years.
When Aldrin was asked about the human colonization of Mars, his response centered around the idea that the achievement would be the next monumental one for humanity after man's landing on the moon. Aldrin thinks that Elon Musk, founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX who believes that man can set foot on Mars by 2026, will contribute significantly to the endeavor. Aldrin also strongly believes that the first men to land on Mars should not come back to Earth, and that they should establish "permanence" already on the planet in an achievement that will not be held by a private company, but rather by the entire human race.
Aldrin also responded to a question regarding whether he saw a UFO while on Apollo 11, stating that he saw light outside the window which looked like it was moving alongside the spacecraft. While Aldrin gave a few explanations on what it could have been, he said that the object is technically "unidentified," which he revealed in an interview in another country. Aldrin adds that he believes that there is life somewhere else in space, but evidence of such may be hundreds of light years away.
Aldrin also reveals that the movie Gravity, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, was the best space movie that he has seen, with an accurate portrayal of movement in zero gravity.
Aldrin responded to many more questions on the Reddit AMA feature, showcasing his love for space and his ambitions on what mankind can achieve over the coming years.
