To the Moon, Buzz!

As a young man, Buzz Aldrin enjoyed collecting rocks as a hobby. As an adult, Buzz Aldrin continued to collect rocks — from the surface of the moon. In between the childhood and adult rock-collecting, the second man to set foot on Earth's nearest neighboring satellite had to learn many things and deal with several setbacks. Aldrin tells his story in his kid-friendly book, Reaching for the Moon. One of those setbacks included initially being denied entry into the astronaut training program — but if he had quit then, he would never have made the voyage of a lifetime to the moon's "magnificent desolation." He probably also wouldn't have completed his design for a permanent space station, nor ever designed reusable rockets. All of his achievements — as a pilot, an astronaut and an inventor — stem from that initial curiosity about this world and his never-say-quit attitude. Aldrin signs copies of his book from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today at the Saint Louis Science Center's Center Stage (5050 Oakland Avenue; 314-289-4400 or www.slsc.org). Bring the kids and meet one of America's great explorers, or just bring your own sense of childlike wonder. Admission is free.
Thu., April 27