He’s 96 now. Honestly, just let that sink in for a second. Buzz Aldrin, the man who stepped onto the lunar dust 19 minutes after Neil Armstrong, isn't just a historical footnote. He is the last one standing from the most famous crew in human history.
With the recent passing of Jim Lovell in 2025, Buzz officially became the oldest living astronaut. It’s a heavy title to carry. But if you think he’s spent his 90s sitting in a rocking chair reminiscing about the "good old days" at Tranquility Base, you clearly haven't been paying attention to his Twitter feed or his fashion choices.
The Reality of Buzz Aldrin Today
Life hasn't been a quiet sunset for the Colonel. Just this past October, Buzz faced a devastating personal blow when his wife, Dr. Anca Faur, passed away. They had only been married for about two years—they famously "eloped like teenagers" on his 93rd birthday back in 2023. Losing her at 95 is the kind of grief that would break most people.
He's tough, though.
He has to be. You don't survive a descent in a tin can with a broken circuit breaker (which he famously fixed with a felt-tip pen) without a certain level of grit. Today, Buzz splits his time between managing his legacy and screaming—metaphorically, mostly—at NASA to get their act together regarding Mars.
Mars or Bust (Literally)
Buzz is kind of obsessed with the Red Planet. He doesn’t just want a "flags and footprints" mission like Apollo. He wants a permanent settlement. He’s spent years developing the "Aldrin Mars Cycler," a specialized spacecraft trajectory that would basically create a bus route between Earth and Mars.
While NASA is currently hyper-focused on the Artemis missions—which are finally slated to put boots back on the moon this year—Buzz remains a bit of a skeptic. He’s gone on record multiple times, even in front of stunned NASA officials, saying that the Moon should be a stepping stone, not the destination.
He wants us to go big.
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What Most People Get Wrong About His "Celebrity"
There’s this misconception that Buzz is just a "space influencer" now because he wears silver jackets and three watches at once. (Yes, he actually does that—one for Earth time, one for the moon, and one for... well, maybe just because he can).
But the "Buzz" brand is actually a shield.
Behind the flashy ties and the "Get Your Ass to Mars" t-shirts is a man who struggled deeply. He’s been incredibly open about his battles with clinical depression and alcoholism that nearly ruined him in the 70s. He even worked as a used car salesman for a stint after NASA. Can you imagine? Buying a Chevy from the second man on the moon? He was terrible at it, by the way. He couldn’t bring himself to lie to customers.
Navigating the Family Drama
You might remember the headlines from a few years back. It was messy. His children, Andrew and Janice, sued him, claiming he was suffering from dementia. They wanted control of his legacy and his money.
Buzz didn't take it lying down. He counter-sued, basically saying, "I'm fine, and you're trying to steal my legacy."
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They eventually dropped the lawsuits in 2019, but the scars remained. It’s a reminder that even American icons deal with the same gritty, painful family dynamics as anyone else. Today, things seem more stable, but he keeps his inner circle tight. His work is now largely managed through Buzz Aldrin Ventures, and he remains the face of the Aldrin Family Foundation.
The 2026 Space Landscape
As we move through 2026, Buzz is watching the sky more closely than ever. With Japan’s SLIM mission successes and the Artemis 2 crew preparing for their lunar flyby, the "space race" is back on.
But for Buzz, it’s different.
He’s the only one left who knows what that specific silence sounds like. Neil Armstrong passed in 2012. Michael Collins, the "loneliest man in history" who stayed in the command module, died in 2021. When Buzz looks at the moon today, he’s looking at a graveyard of his friends' footprints.
Why We Still Watch Him
We’re fascinated by him because he represents a version of the future we almost forgot to build. In the 60s, we thought we’d be living in orbit by now. We aren't. Buzz is the living reminder of that unfulfilled promise.
He’s also just genuinely funny.
Whether he’s making a cameo on The Big Bang Theory or punching a moon-landing denier in the face (which, let's be honest, was a legendary move), he refuses to be a museum piece. He’s a 96-year-old man who still thinks about orbital mechanics while he’s eating breakfast.
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Actionable Ways to Follow the Legacy
If you actually want to keep up with what's happening in his world without the tabloid fluff, here’s how to do it:
- Check the Aldrin Family Foundation: They are currently rolling out the "S-Cubed" program—Student Satellites in Space—aiming to get real tech into the hands of K-12 kids by the 2026-2027 school year.
- Watch the Artemis 2 Launch: When those four astronauts head toward the moon this year, look for Buzz’s commentary. He usually doesn't hold back his "constructive" criticism.
- Read "Magnificent Desolation": If you want the raw truth about what happens to a human brain after it leaves the planet, skip the history books and read his 2009 memoir. It’s surprisingly dark and deeply human.
He’s a complicated guy. A hero, a widower, a scientist, and a bit of a provocateur. Buzz Aldrin today isn't just a relic of 1969; he’s the loudest voice in the room demanding we don't stop at the moon.
Go follow his official X (Twitter) account to see his 97th-year celebrations coming up this January. He’s still here. He’s still wearing the silver jackets. And he’s still waiting for us to catch up to his vision of the future.