Buzz Aldrin will be working together with the Florida Institute of Technology to come up with a "master plan" to allow people to colonize Mars in the next 25 years.
Aldrin announced the partnership last Thursday during a signing ceremony at the university, which will launch the Buzz Aldrin Space Institute by fall, the FIT press release stated.
"I'm thrilled to be partnering with FIT in my new home state of Florida," the 85-year-old Aldrin said during the ceremony, according to FIT news release.
According to the former Air Force colonel, people should be able to live on the Red Planet by 2039, just in time for the 70<sup>th anniversary of his mission to the moon, although that date can still be changed.
The plan, given the name "Cycling Pathways to Occupy Mars," involves making the planet's moons, Phobos and Deimos, as stepping stones for the voyage to Mars' surface.
The Red Planet is about 140 million miles from Earth, and that is equivalent to nine months of travelling in space just to reach its surface.
The retired astronaut also said that he will be asking feedback from the international community about the plan and hopes that NASA will accept it. Currently, the space agency is working on a mission to make flights to Mars possible by 2030.
He also went on saying he was proud during his time spent with NASA, working with the Apollo 11 and Gemini 12 programs, but he also hopes that he will be remembered for long for his future contributions.
Aldrin was the second person to land on the moon back in 1969. He has a doctorate in science received from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He will now be Florida Institute of Technology's (FIT) research professor of aeronautics and at the same time, FIT's senior adviser.
He will also be joined by former astronauts — Sam Durrance and Winston Scott — as the institute's faculty members.
