The well-connected father of Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin lobbied behind the scenes to have him say the first words from the moon, a new book claims.
As lunar module pilot on the famous Apollo 11 mission, Aldrin set foot on the moon's surface on July 21 1969, nine minutes after mission commander Neil Armstrong, who famously declared: 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.'
NASA chiefs chose Armstrong for the honor of saying those immortal words, despite a covert campaign pushing for Aldrin, claims Jim Donovan in his new book Shoot For The Moon.
Apollo 11 astronauts Mike Collins (left), Neil Armstrong (centre), and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, in front of the Lunar Landing Module Simulator at the Kennedy Space Centre, USA, prior to their landing on the moon. A new book by Jim Donovan reveals that there was a behind the scenes campaign by Aldrin and his father that attempted to ensure he would take the first steps on the moon
Both Aldrin and his father Edwin Snr, who was an aviator and officer in the U.S Army during the First and Second World Wars, pushed for the mission plans to decree that the lunar module pilot would exit before the commander.
'[Aldrin] lobbied behind the scenes after finding out that Neil Armstrong, who was quiet and modest in demeanour and cool under pressure, had been chosen to be the first,' Donovan said.
'Aldrin also bugged Apollo 10 commander Tom Stafford, who was involved in mission planning.'
The decision had been closely watched since the first press conference following the announcement of the Apollo 11 crew, when a reporter asked: 'Which one of you gentlemen will be the first man to step onto the lunar surface?'
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin arrives for President Donald Trump's State of the Union address in February 2019. He was reportedly going to be the first man on the moon but NASA chiefs chose 'modest' Neil Armstrong instead
Donald Kent 'Deke' Slayton, who oversaw NASA's crew assignments, replied that it had not yet been decided,
