Buzz Aldrin absent as countdown to the 50th anniversary of the landing on the moon begins

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – Former NASA astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, was remarkably absent at a 50th anniversary gala of the first moon landing, even though his nonprofit foundation

No explanation was given for Aldrin 's absence from the Apollo Celebration Gala on Saturday night. But the 88-year-old man is locked in a legal battle with family members who say he's suffering from a mental decline. The black tie event, held under a Saturn V rocket at the Kennedy Space Center, featured a group discussion by astronauts, a rewards ceremony and an auction of space memorabilia.

Hundreds of people attended the sold-out event, including British physicist Brian Cox, who presented Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson with the Innovation Award of the ShareSpace Foundation

Branson, whose the company is developing a new generation of commercial spacecraft, said in a video that the Apollo missions have influenced his generation. "The space is still hard, very hard, it really matters," said Branson. "There would be no Virgin Galactic, no Virgin Orbit and no spaceship company 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's Education Award, and former director of the Johnson Space Center, Gerry Griffin, flight director of all Apollo missions in crew, received the Pioneer Award. very humiliating, he came out of nowhere, "said Griffin." It's so good to know that we pbaded the torch that will allow the next generation to take us to the next stage. "

Next step, says Griffin, is a return of the Americans to the Moon and, finally, Mars – something that former Apollo astronauts, Walt Cunningham, Harrison Schmitt, Rusty Schweickart and Tom Stafford have discussed during the summer. a conversation with Cox

"We are sort of going through a second door here. "We did not go to the end – but it's open," said Schweickart, who flew as a lunar module pilot on Apollo 9, to the Associated Press. "The space will be much cheaper, and this will not only open up people the opportunity to fly, but also because of the reduced cost, real opportunities for innovators to generate new ideas and make new ideas." things that have never been "

The Aldrin ShareSpace Foundation is one of the sponsors of the annual gala that raises funds for scholarships in science, technology , engineering, arts and mathematics – or STEAM – and Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

Renowned Brazilian pop artist Romero Britto donated his "Buzz Aldrin Space Series" for the auction, which also included a behind-the-scenes tour of Virgin Galactic 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, 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.