Buzz Aldrin: Destination Mars

Buzz Aldrin, astronaut of the Apollo 11 and Gemini 12 missions and author of No Dream Is Too High: "My playlist is obviously influenced by the earth, seasons, the elements, space, the moon, and Mars but also by people on my team who helped me select many of these songs. I tend to be primarily a Carpenters fan, and so the soothing sound of Karen Carpenter's song 'Top of the World' is my favourite. And there may be some surprises mixed in here having to do with people in my life and how the songs relate to them. 'The Ocean' by Led Zeppelin is an homage to my son Andy because he's a fan of that band and we share a love of scuba diving. 'The Wind' by Lemon Road is by my mission director Christina, who was a musician before she worked with me, and she says she lived a rock-star lifestyle in preparation for life with me because of the schedule we keep. I certainly can't leave out Frank Sinatra's 'Fly Me to the Moon', as it's the one most people think of when it comes to me and the moon. I chose 'Seven Nation Army' because my friend Jack White has been present in my life for a few years, and after all I'm a Cold War Warrior. 'Summer of '69' is self-explanatory, and Bryan Adams is a friend who has photographed me. When I was on Dancing with the Stars I danced to 'What a Wonderful World'. And finally, you'll notice a few songs by David Bowie. I learned recently that he released his record a month before our Apollo 11 moon landing as a tribute to our space journey, and so I list a few songs here in honour of him. We end with the fitting Holst's ‘Mars' from The Planets. I hope you enjoy it."