What was it like to go to the moon in 1969? We asked Buzz Aldrin

A quarter-century after the moon landing, astronaut Buzz Aldrin could easily recall the words that came to mind for himwhen he first saw the lunar surfaceup close.

"Magnificent desolation,"he told CBC's Midday on the 25th anniversary of the historic mission that sawhumans set foot on the moon for the first time.

For Aldrin, the phrase summed up a contrast of sorts between "the magnificence of our achievement and our accomplishment...and the utter desolation of the surface that we were on," he said.

The second man on the moon

As the world remembers well, it was fellow astronautNeil Armstrong who first stepped onto the moon on July 20, 1969. But Aldrin also walked on its surface on that same mission.

Both Armstrong and Aldrin spent two hours walking onthe surface itself and around 20 hours on the moon in total,while their colleague Michael Collins stayed in orbit in the command module.

Two hours walking on the moon

30 years ago

Duration 0:33

Buzz Aldrin talks about his time on the moon and his faith in the equipment that brought him there.

When describing his moon mission to Midday, Aldrin repeatedly referredtothe many technical considerations that were part of each step of the journey.

But Aldrin said he and his fellow astronauts never doubted the equipment that had brought themto the moonwouldbring themback home.

"I wouldn't say we ever really had anything like that," said Aldrin.

Aldrin said that he remained grateful for the chance to do something that had never been done before.

He also was appreciative of the support that Canadians had expressed over the years.

Gratitude for Canadian support

30 years ago

Duration 1:01

Buzz Aldrin talks about the support Canadians had shown for space exploration over the years.

The journey that Aldrin and the Apollo 11 astronauts made inspired people all around the world, including many Canadians, young and old alike.