Retired astronaut Buzz Aldrin marries ‘longtime love’ on his 93rd birthday

Buzz Aldrin said that he and new wife Anca Faur were as "excited as eloping teenagers". Credit: @TheRealBuzz/ Twitter

Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, has announced he has married his "long-time love" on his 93rd birthday in a small ceremony in Los Angeles.

Aldrin, who made history along with Neil Armstrong in 1969 as the first people to set foot on the surface of the moon, said the wedding took place on Friday. “I am pleased to announce that my longtime love and partner, Dr. Anca Faur, and I have tied the knot. We were joined in holy matrimony in a small private ceremony in Los Angeles & are as excited as eloping teenagers,” he wrote on Twitter. The post was accompanied by some photos of the newlyweds.

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin made their historic walk on the lunar surface, fulfilling a vow by the late President John F. Kennedy to send a manned crew to the moon and safely return them to Earth.

Armstrong was on the moon’s surface for roughly two and a half hours, while Aldrin, who followed him, spent about 15 minutes less than that.

Michael Collins was the third member of the crew. Of the three world renowned astronauts, Aldrin is the only one who is still alive today.

Buzz Aldrin was in the Apollo 11 Lunar Module on July 20 1969. Credit: Neil Armstrong/NASA via AP

Last July, Aldrin’s jacket worn on his historic first mission to the moon’s surface was auctioned off to a bidder for nearly $2.8 million. The $2,772,500 (£2,303,254) paid for the Apollo 11 Inflight Coverall Jacket was the highest for any American space-flown artifact sold at auction, according to Sotheby’s, which handled the sale.

The unidentified winning bidder, who participated by phone, outlasted several others in a bidding that lasted almost 10 minutes.

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