Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Speaks at Yonsei

- Stresses Importance of Leadership for Achieving Impossible Dreams

On September 21, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second human to walk on the Moon, spoke at Yonsei as part of the 100th Anniversary Lecture Series. In his talk, Mr. Aldrin highlighted the importance for today’s young people of embracing challenges and having a resilient spirit. He recounted his lunar landing with Neil Armstrong in 1961, while also speaking of his memories of Korea during the Korean War, in which he served as a fighter pilot.

In order to achieve goals that seem impossible, Mr. Aldrin stressed the vital importance of seizing opportunities, cooperating with others, and having leaders with vision and decisiveness. His primary example of such a leader was President John F. Kennedy, who in 1961 announced the ambitious goal of sending an American to the moon before the end of the decade.

Addressing the Yonsei students in the audience, Mr. Aldrin said: “You should take advantage of challenging opportunities, as they will bring about important changes for our future.” He added, though, that collaboration is essential in achieving ambitious goals: “The lunar landing of Apollo 11 would not have been possible without the cooperation of countless individuals.” In terms of strong leadership, he praised the qualities demonstrated by President Kennedy: “Although many thought that President Kennedy’s goal of going to the moon was impossible, he approached the challenge with vision, decisiveness, and courage.” Mr. Aldrin expressed his conviction that the leaders of tomorrow “should possess the same type of vision, willpower, and courage.”

Memories of a Desolate Moon, Pursuing New Developments in Space

Of the Moon itself, Mr. Aldrin described it as “majestic and desolate.” Standing on the Moon, he told the audience, instilled him with a singular feeling of wonder and loneliness. He also emphasized his deeply-held belief that space research improves the quality of human life by promoting important achievements and innovation in science and technology. To contribute to space research, Mr. Aldrin established a laboratory at the Florida Institute of Technology, which is devoted to research on Mars and advancing exploration of the planet. Mr. Aldrin has also written a number of books; his most recent, Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration, details his vision for humans to be able to establish colonies on Mars by 2035.