Leonard Lopate interviews Buzz Aldrin about his memoir.

Aldrin sprinkles in ideas from time to time about depression, anxiety, alcoholism throughout the interview. It is all worth listening to.

What were Aldrin’s first words responding to questions about his depression?
“I was part of a structure.” After he walked on the moon, the purpose and structure evaporated.

“getting the brass ring”
“maybe in the eyes of some … undeservedly”
“highly competitive environment” “prima donna, ego, society”

Stories about NASA and astronauts always draw me in.  I grew up in Nassau Bay across from NASA Johson Space Center in Houston, Texas. My dad worked there as a chemical engineer.  My sisters babysat for kids when their dads were on missions.  Some of my friends had dads in space.  Tour buses circled the neighborhood from time to time.  I was interviewed by a Frenchnewspaper woman when I was 8 years old during the Apollo11 mission.