Washington, July 17 (DPA) Even after his trip to the moon, Buzz Aldrin has led a pretty exciting life.

A scientist, engineer, space exploration historian and science-fiction writer, Aldrin guest-starred as himself on 'The Simpsons' in 1994, and recorded a rap song with Snoop Dogg and Quincy Jones earlier this year.

Aldrin became the second man to walk on the moon's surface July 20, 1969, just after his mission commander, Neil Armstrong, had taken the historic first step.

Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr was born in New Jersey in 1930, and earned his famous nickname as a child when his younger sister mispronounced 'brother' as 'buzzer'. He made 'Buzz' his legal first name in 1988.

Aldrin graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1951 and joined the US Air Force, flying 66 combat missions during the Korean War.

Aldrin got his doctorate in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1963 and was selected to be a NASA astronaut later that year.

He helped develop docking techniques for orbiting spacecraft that are still used today, and in 1966 he performed the world's first successful spacewalk.