“Bringing an asteroid back to Earth? What's that have to do with space exploration? If we were moving outward from there, and an asteroid is a good stopping point, then fine. But now it's turned into a whole planetary defense exercise at the cost of our outward exploration.”

American former astronaut, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot

Buzz Aldrin is an American former astronaut, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. He is known for being the second person to walk on the Moon, following mission commander Neil Armstrong. Aldrin served as the pilot of NASA’s Gemini 12 mission in 1966, during which he made three spacewalks. He later flew as the Lunar Module Eagle pilot on Apollo 11 in 1969. He is now the last surviving member of that crew and the oldest living astronaut.