IN THIS FEATURE Space now-boy When a pilot loves his cars Part-time racer A vision of space tourism

Space has been good to Aldrin. He travels the globe giving lectures and advising government and scientific bodies on space issues. It is lucrative work, securing thousands of dollars at a time. The rewards of his fame are a Pacific-view mansion at Laguna Beach, a luxury apartment in Beverly Hills and a penchant for nice cars. Aldrin used to be spotted cruising down Rodeo Drive or Sunset Boulevard. His convertible Mercedes carried the California licence plate MARS BOY; his wife Lois' Porsche wore the tag MOON GAL. So Aldrin is keen to establish himself as a bit of car guy. Like all former fighter pilots (Aldrin flew 66 combat missions in Korea), his vehicle on terra firma has to complement his choice of flying machine. Even in his eighth decade, he likes something with a bit of flair.

"I've been driving a Mercedes and a Volvo, and both of them are convertibles because I like to be close to the fresh open air that we have an abundance of here in California," he says.

Boldly going where no man had gone before

It is hard to imagine anyone who has piloted a space rocket or jet fighter getting any kind of kicks from a mere car. But Aldrin does. Driving, he says, can be more involving than space flight. "I try and enjoy the vehicle to get the best, smoothest performance that I can out of it with all I know about how it responds to the controls and what are the challenges of the roadways ahead, and what I perceive as the motions of the traffic that I may encounter.

"Usually when you're in a car, the driver is in total control of what is going on. When you're in a spacecraft, you have a very prescribed path that you're following and that has to be controlled very accurately by forces that are in many cases not left up to the pilot to do."