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buel
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« on: 10/05/2011 08:01 PM » |
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Hi,
After recently watching that fool Brad Sibrel on youtube getting to actually speak with Neil Armstrong (which he didn't deserve to), i was struck by how decent and 'normal' Armstrong appeared, even to him.
Now i believe he is notoriously private and Aldrin seemingly the exact opposite (Dancing With The stars etc) but what id love to know is firstly, has anyone here met either\both of them and if so- what were they like?
Secondly, apart from Aldrin's book tour a few years ago, do either of them participate in any public speaking/tours in the U.S?
Thank you in advance- Buel
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« on: 10/05/2011 08:01 PM » |
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daj24
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« Reply #1 on: 10/05/2011 08:11 PM » |
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Can't say that I have "met" them but at Oshkosh for the 25th or 30th or something-th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing Collins, Armstrong, and Aldrin were together and I got a good picture of them from about 5 to 10 foot away! Supposedly this was the last time that all three of them were together. I was pretty excited about it.
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Namechange User
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« Reply #2 on: 10/05/2011 08:18 PM » |
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I have a funny story that involves me, Buzz, a mini-van and Disney World.....
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Rocket Science
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« Reply #3 on: 10/05/2011 08:31 PM » |
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I have a funny story that involves me, Buzz, a mini-van and Disney World.....
Doesn’t sound suitable for a general audience OV 
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Comga
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« Reply #4 on: 10/05/2011 11:18 PM » |
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Years ago my company had a joint project with one that Armstrong headed. He came to speak to our part of the team, a meeting I did not attend. A friend who did attend said that he was very forthright and straight forward, focussed on the joint effort and gave a good speech. It was devoid of any reference to Apollo. I also heard that on the way to our company someone from Corporate, PR or something, was asking him about the moon flight, and got a very cold reception. It was said that Armstrong was very much focused on the job at hand, not some flights he made decades ago. This agrees with what I have heard about him being reticent to participate in celebrations of anniversaries of the moon landing and the like. PS I really liked reading his authorized biography "First Man".
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CitabriaFlyer
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« Reply #5 on: 10/05/2011 11:57 PM » |
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I had a chance to hear both of them speak several times at Oshkosh in 94. Can't say I met either one of them but I do recall how down to earth Mr. Armstrong was. This guy radiated cool professionalism and genuine humility all at the same time. He seemed like just another airplane guy happy to be hangar flying. I would guess that if the venue were appropriate he would be approachable.
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brtbrt
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« Reply #6 on: 10/06/2011 02:23 AM » |
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I've never met Armstrong, but I've met Buzz 3 times at ISDC conferences. Once I even had lunch at the same table with him, and got the chance to chat for a while.
He was very easy to approach and to talk to, a real gentleman. So much so that at some point later, Lonnie Schorer, who was working with him, asked me to join a large group of writers in the book project Buzz was spearheading, called "Kids To Space".
Needless to say, I jumped at the chance - it was a real honor. I ended up writing the chapter on costs of space flight. So now I have two copies signed by Buzz - one for each of my kids :-)
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buel
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« Reply #7 on: 10/06/2011 10:44 AM » |
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Thank you all. There are some extremely interesting posts there.
It's a shame Armstrong is so reluctant to talk about the Apollo mission but i suppose there are only so many times you can answer the same questions again and again!
So does Armstrong continue to make public appearances now or are they few and far between?
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Ben the Space Brit
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« Reply #8 on: 10/06/2011 01:07 PM » |
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My mother's boss met Dr. Aldrin at a Buckingham Palace charity party. He's something of an outgoing man, so he turned to this distinguished-looking white-haired man and said: "Hi I'm David. I'm into real estate. Who are you?"
"I'm Buzz and I fly in space," Dr. Aldrin replied with a grin, giving him a business card in for his space consultancy.
That card now has pride of place on the wall of his office.
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mike robel
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« Reply #9 on: 10/06/2011 01:09 PM » |
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My experience with COL Aldrin is you approach him with your checkbook in your hand, and if what you have is signed by Collins or Armstrong, double the price.
Having said that, if you just get the opportunity to talk to him, then he can be approachable.
And he can dance a little. This is him with my daughter.
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buel
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« Reply #11 on: 10/06/2011 09:35 PM » |
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Wow Collectspace, that is excellent news, thank you!
So if you are lucky enough to attend a public appearance with Armstrong or Aldrin, is it possible for 'Joe Public' to meet them or is the chance to meet them just restricted to the special few?
Ps- Mike Robel- it didn't even occur to me that you have to pay for their signatures (naivety on my part), how much for each one do you suggest?
Pps- Ben the space brit- Brilliant story!! And Comga- I will buy that book and thank you for a really interesting insight into Armstrong!!
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mike robel
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« Reply #12 on: 10/06/2011 10:25 PM » |
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I think Buzz is something like 200-250, unless his crewmates have signed it first, in which case it pops up to something like 500.
We would had to pay for him to sign the photo with my daughter, so we elected not to bother.
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collectSPACE
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« Reply #13 on: 10/06/2011 10:37 PM » |
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So if you are lucky enough to attend a public appearance with Armstrong or Aldrin, is it possible for 'Joe Public' to meet them or is the chance to meet them just restricted to the special few?
It all depends on the nature of the event. At some events, there is ample opportunity to go up and talk, shake hands, maybe have your photo taken with them. At others, either due to scheduling pressures or the size of the crowd, such interaction is not possible. it didn't even occur to me that you have to pay for their signatures (naivety on my part), how much for each one do you suggest?
Both Armstrong and Aldrin signed for free for many years. When both started to see their autographs being sold by more and more of those they had signed free for, they changed practices. Armstrong ceased signing in 1994. Aldrin began charging around the same time. Aldrin's base fee at next month's Astronaut Scholarship Foundation show is $400. That may seem high, but based on past experience, he'll still have a line waiting for him.
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Moe Grills
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« Reply #14 on: 10/06/2011 11:24 PM » |
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Buzz signed one of his books for me way back in 1988.
It's too bad that Buzz doesn't post here on NSF.com.
I'm aware that there has been an astronaut (of anonymous username) or
two...on this forum...It would nice to know that Buzz was one of them.
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