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CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – The former NASA astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, was remarkably absent at a 50th anniversary gala for the first moon landing, though his non-profit foundation The Apollo Celebration Gala, held under a Saturn V rocket at the Kennedy Space Center, resulted in a group discussion by astronauts, a prize-giving ceremony and a space memorabilia auction
. Hundreds of people attended the event, including British physicist Brian Cox, who handed Virgin Galactic's founder, Richard Branson, the ShareSpace Foundation's Innovation Award
Branson, whose the company is developing a new generation of commercial spacecraft. recorded video that Apollo missions have influenced his generation.
"The space is still hard, really hard.This still really counts," said Branson. "There would be no Virgin Galactic, no Virgin Orbit and no companionship. spaceship without the Apollo astronauts and the thousands of talented people who made their mission possible. "
Dr. Carolyn Williams of the non-profit organization De One Hand at AnOTHER received the Foundation Education Award, and the former director of the Johnson Space Center, Gerry Griffin, flight director of all Apollo missions crewed, received the Pioneer Award.very humiliating, he came out of nowhere, " Griffin said. "It's so good to know that we pbaded the torch that will allow the next generation to take us to the next stage."
The next step, says Griffin, is a return of the Americans to the Moon and, ultimately, Mars – something that former Apollo astronauts, Walt Cunningham, Harrison Schmitt, Rusty Schweickart and Tom Stafford have discussed in a conversation with Cox
"We are somehow gone through a second door here.The door is not completely open – we have not gone through it yet – but it's open, "told the Associated Press Schweickart, who flew as a lunar module driver on Apollo 9." The space will be a lot cheaper, and that will not only open up to people the opportunity to fly, but also because of the reduced cost, real opportunities for innovators to generate new ideas and do things that have never been "
ShareSpace Foundation of Aldrin is one of the sponsors of the annual gala that collects funds for scholarships in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics – or STEAM – and Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
pop artist Romero Britto donated his "Buzz Aldrin Space Series" to the auction, which also included a behind-the-scenes tour of Virgin Galactic in California and autographed space memorabilia. Tickets for the event ranged from $ 750 to $ 2,500 per person
The planned absence of the former astronaut just a month after he sued two of his adult children and a former business manager, accusing them of abusing his credit cards. account and slander him by saying that he has dementia. A few weeks before the trial, Andrew and Jan Aldrin filed a petition claiming that their 88-year-old father was suffering from memory loss, delusion, paranoia and confusion.
Andrew and Jan Aldrin, as well as the commercial director Christina Korp, on the board of directors of the foundation and attended the gala. The eldest son of Aldrin, James, is not involved in the legal fight.
Andrew Aldrin acknowledged the absence of his father during the gala
"We are sorry dad can not be here, I know some are disappointed," Aldrin said. "In the end, we are creating the first generation of Martians."
Buzz Aldrin, along with Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, was part of the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first two humans on the moon on July 20, 1969.
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Follow Alex Sanz at https://twitter.com/AlexSanz and Mike Schneider at https://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP
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