Why Wasn’t Buzz Aldrin First on the Moon?

About this episode

This episode explores the reasons why Buzz Aldrin was not the first person to walk on the Moon, examining NASA's choices and the events surrounding Apollo 11.

Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969, but what if history had gone differently? Today I explore one of the most fascinating questions in space history: Why wasn’t Buzz Aldrin first on the Moon? Was Neil Armstrong always NASA's choice? Did Apollo 11 follow a predetermined plan? And what role did NASA politics, astronaut personalities, spacecraft design, and pure circumstance play in deciding who would take the most famous step in human history? Along the way, we'll dig into the controversy surrounding Armstrong's famous "one small step for man" quote, the debate over whether he planned it in advance, the near-disaster during the Apollo 11 lunar landing, and the surprising reason there are so few photographs of Armstrong actually standing on the Moon. If you enjoy space history, Apollo 11, NASA, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, the Moon landing, astronaut stories, science history, Cold War history, and fascinating true stories , you're in the right place. #Apollo11 #MoonLanding #NeilArmstrong #BuzzAldrin #SpaceHistory #NASA #spacefacts Music thanks to Zapsplat. Sources • Aldrin, B. (1973). Return to Earth . Random House. • Armstrong, N…

People in this episode

Host: Gordy

Topics covered

• space history
• Apollo 11
• NASA politics
• Moon landing
• astronaut stories
• Cold War history

Keywords

• Buzz Aldrin
• Neil Armstrong
• Apollo 11
• Moon landing
• NASA
• space history
• astronauts
• Cold War

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NASA

Books & works: Return to Earth, Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, Interview with Ed Bradley, 60 Minutes

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