“When we set out to land people on the surface of Mars, I think we should as a nation, as a world, commit ourselves to supporting a growing settlement and colonization there. To visit a few times and then withdraw would be an unforgivable waste of resources.” PeopleThinkingWorldShouldWould BeNationsGrowingLandWasteResourcesSurfaceCommitMarsSettlementColonizationUnforgivable Author:Buzz Aldrin
“Did the Pilgrims on the Mayflower sit around Plymouth Rock waiting for a return trip? They came here to settle. And that's what we should be doing on Mars. When you go to Mars, you need to have made the decision that you're there permanently. The more people we have there, the more it can become a sustaining environment. Except for very rare exceptions, the people who go to Mars shouldn't be coming back. Once you get on the surface, you're there.” PeopleNeedsShouldMadeWaitingDecisionEnvironmentRocksReturnSurfaceSettlingExceptionMarsComing BackPilgrimSustainingMayflowerPlymouthPlymouth Rock Author:Buzz Aldrin
“Everyone should take their hats off to Neil Armstrong. He is a humble guy who doesn't wave his own flag.” ShouldGuyWaveHumbleHatsFlagsArmstrongHats Off Author:Buzz Aldrin
“The way I see it, commercial interests should manage a lunar base while NASA gets on with the really important task of flying to Mars.” WayShouldImportantInterestTasksFlyingManageMarsNasa Author:Buzz Aldrin
“There should be an international lunar base. That is certainly doable.” ShouldInternational Author:Buzz Aldrin
“Astronauts working for the government will always need to be either pilots or mission specialists. Those who want to be pilots should have military experience - ideally, a test pilot background.” WantNeedsShouldGovernmentMilitaryShould HaveTestsMissionsBackgroundsPilotsAstronautSpecialistsMilitary Experience Author:Buzz Aldrin
“Do we really need these big, gigantic, heavy rockets? What if we launch a rocket that's empty, and its sole purpose is to act as a source of fuel on the Moon? Who should build that? Well, I think the U.S. should build that.” IfsThinkingNeedsShouldWellsBigsPurposeSourceMoonEmptyHeavyFuelWhat IfSoleRockets Author:Buzz Aldrin
“Instead of planning the retirement of the Space Shuttle program, America should be preparing the shuttles for their next step in space: evolving, not shutting them down and laying off thousands of people.” PeopleShouldAmericaNextSpaceStepsProgramDown AndPlanningEvolveRetirementPreparingNext StepsSpace ShuttleShuttle Program Author:Buzz Aldrin
“My expertise is the space program and what it should be in the future based on my experience of looking at the transitions that we've made between pre-Sputnik days and getting to the moon.” ShouldMadeSpaceMoonProgramTransitionExpertiseSpace ProgramSputnik Author:Buzz Aldrin
“I have no doubt that humans will go to Mars. And I feel that America has led so many things in space - we have invested so much, and we have a lot to gain - that America could and should be the nation that should lead the settlement of Mars.” FeelsShouldHumansAmericaNationsSpaceDoubtGainsNo DoubtMarsSettlement Author:Buzz Aldrin
“Returning to the Moon with NASA astronauts is not the best usage of our resources. Because OUR resources should be directed to outward, beyond-the-moon, to establishing habitation and laboratories on the surface of Mars that can be built, assembled, from the close-by moons of Mars.” ShouldMoonResourcesBuiltSurfaceMarsLaboratoryAstronautNasaUsage Author:Buzz Aldrin
“Dwelling on an engine failure for a pilot as he rolls down the runway is NOT what he should be thinking about - it's obtaining a smooth liftoff! But in the back of his mind, he knows exactly what to do (or pretty much) and in many cases, if he's alone in the fighter aircraft, he has to leave that aircraft in an ejection seat in a big hurry!” IfsThinkingKnowsShouldMindBigsCasesFighterSeatsEnginesPilotsSmoothDwellingAircraftObtainingRunway Author:Buzz Aldrin
“Over the years, I think I've matured in my spiritual evolution and development to understand a bit more than the narrow religious thinking - to move beyond that through a sort of perfection of the grandiose nature of the universe, and how perfect it is it in its sense and how satisfied we should all be in our place in that.” ThinkingShouldYearsSpiritualMovingUniverseBitsReligiousPerfectDevelopmentEvolutionPerfectionSatisfiedMaturedGrandioseSpiritual Evolution Author:Buzz Aldrin
“Monumental achievements by humanity should be done by major organizations as much together as possible.” ShouldDoneTogetherHumanityAchievementMajorsOrganization Author:Buzz Aldrin
“Absolutely the United States should lead in space, for the survival of the United States. It's inspiring for the next generation. If we lose leadership, then we'll be using Chinese capability to inspire Americans.” IfsShouldStatesNextLosesSpaceUnitedUnited StatesGenerationsInspireSurvivalChineseCapabilityNext GenerationLead In Author:Buzz Aldrin
“Fighter pilots have ice in their veins. They don't have emotions. They think, anticipate. They know that fear and other concerns cloud your mind from what's going on and what you should be involved in.” ThinkingKnowsShouldMindEmotionInvolvedConcernCloudsIceFighterPilotsVeinsAnticipateFighter Pilot Author:Buzz Aldrin
“To send humans back to the moon would not be advancing. It would be more than 50 years after the first moon landing when we got there, and we'd probably be welcomed by the Chinese. But we should return to the moon without astronauts and build, with robots, an international lunar base, so that we know how to build a base on Mars robotically.” KnowsShouldYearsFirstsHumansWould BeKnow HowReturnMoonInternationalChineseMarsRobotsAstronautAdvancingLandingMoon LandingColonizing Mars Author:Buzz Aldrin
“We should go boldly where man has not gone before. Fly by the comets, visit asteroids, visit the moon of Mars. There's a monolith there. A very unusual structure on this potato shaped object that goes around Mars once in seven hours. When people find out about that they're going to say 'Who put that there? Who put that there?' The universe put it there. If you choose, God put it there.” PeopleIfsMenShouldUniverseHoursGoneObjectsMoonStructureSevenUnusualYou ChooseMarsPotatoesCometsAsteroids Author:Buzz Aldrin
“The first human beings to land on Mars should not come back to Earth. They should be the beginning of a build-up of a colony/settlement, I call it a 'permanence'.” ShouldFirstsHumansEarthHuman BeingsLandMarsColonySettlementPermanence Author:Buzz Aldrin
