# If Buzz was the Lunar Module Pilot, why did Neil land it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 23, 2019, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491 "2019-07-23T03:07:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/1 "2019-07-23T03:07:16Z")
Buzz Aldrin’s position was [Lunar Module Pilot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz_Aldrin). But Neil was the guy who landed the thing, famously avoiding boulders and landing with only a small amount of fuel left. So why was Buzz listed as Pilot? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/2 "2019-07-23T03:36:34Z")
Having just rewatched that episode of From The Earth To The Moon on Saturday, they explained that it was the title of that role in the LEM. The command module pilot stayed in orbit, the Commander of the entire mission was Armstrong, so Aldrin’s position was LEM Pilot. He was responsible for ensuring the LEM was functioning properly, all systems were go, relaying information to Houston and Armstrong, and piloting if needed. The Commander landed the LEM. There wasn’t a whole lot more explanation than that, and even in the episode they acknowledged that it was an odd title. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/3 "2019-07-23T03:40:17Z")
Nobody at that level wants to be called “co-pilot” ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/4 "2019-07-23T06:23:50Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Nobody at that level wants to be called “co-pilot” That’s pretty much it. For all six missions that landed on the moon, the crew was Commander and Pilot. But in each case, it was the Commander that actually flew the lunar module. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/5 "2019-07-23T07:03:27Z")
Except in the Apollo XII lunar lift off, when Conrad let Bean fly for a little bit. When things went pear shaped during the Apollo XIV landing, I think Micthell might have taken over from Shepard for a bit, as the later communicated with Mission Control, but I have seen conflciting reports on this. Aldrin was the only LMP who sat in the center seat at lift off, rather than the right seat. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/6 "2019-07-23T07:24:45Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Nobody at that level wants to be called “co-pilot” On the Gemini missions, the [two-man crew](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_3#Crew) consisted of a “Command Pilot” and a “Pilot”. On [Apollo missions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11#Personnel), you actually had a “Commander”, a “Command Module Pilot”, and a “Lunar Module Pilot”–which was the case even for [missions that never got within 200,000 miles of the Moon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_7#Crew). On the early two-person Space Shuttle flights, the [crew](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-1) consisted of a “Commander” and a “Pilot”. Subsequent [Space Shuttle crews](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-61-A#Crew) still consisted of a “Commander” and a “Pilot”, along with assorted “Mission Specialists” and “Payload Specialists”. The [ISS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_60) has a “Commander” and several “Flight Engineers”. But still no mere “co-pilots”. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/7 "2019-07-23T11:24:53Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > When things went pear shaped during the Apollo XIV landing, I think Micthell might have taken over from Shepard for a bit, as the later communicated with Mission Control, but I have seen conflciting reports on this. Off on a tangent: Your mention of the landing difficulties during Apollo 14 prompted me to go to Wikipedia for more info, which is when I found out about this: [Moon Trees](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_tree) Now I want to go see one. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/8 "2019-07-23T11:28:09Z")
Apollos 7 and 8 had Lunar Module Pilots but not lunar modules. As said, it’s just a title. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/9 "2019-07-23T13:06:09Z")
The Skylab flights had one of the crew members titled “Science Pilot”, which always sounded bizarre to me. Never mind that those three guys (Kerwin, Garriott, Gibson) actually were scientists and pilots. In one of the books, I seem to recall THEM saying it sounded weird. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/10 "2019-07-23T13:44:55Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Nobody at that level wants to be called “co-pilot” So in NASA world, “pilot” is like “vice-president” in corporations. Everybody’s a vice-president. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/11 "2019-07-23T15:10:04Z")
This felt so familiar that at first I thought it was a bump of my old [thread.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=788414) ---
**Author:** ![D18](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/12 "2019-07-23T16:53:56Z")
^In which **Northern** posted! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2019, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/13 "2019-07-23T18:02:49Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > The Skylab flights had one of the crew members titled “Science Pilot”, which always sounded bizarre to me. Never mind that those three guys (Kerwin, Garriott, Gibson) actually were scientists and pilots. In one of the books, I seem to recall THEM saying it sounded weird. They should have put on pointy ears and called themselves “Science Officer”. That would be fascinating… ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2019, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/14 "2019-07-27T05:04:29Z")
> [@D18](#): > > ^In which **Northern** posted! 😉 I was just focussed on the sexual innuendos. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2019, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/15 "2019-07-27T06:14:01Z")
‘Commander’ is supposed to stay behind on the main ship and command. You didn’t see Eisenhower hitting the beach on D-day, or Grant on the front lines at Vicksburg, etc. So Captain Kirk properly should have stayed on the Enterprise, and sent off lower-ranking officers with the sacrificial redshirts. ---
**Author:** ![mako88sb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@mako88sb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mako88sb)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/16 "2019-07-27T18:15:50Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > ‘Commander’ is supposed to stay behind on the main ship and command. You didn’t see Eisenhower hitting the beach on D-day, or Grant on the front lines at Vicksburg, etc. > > So Captain Kirk properly should have stayed on the Enterprise, and sent off lower-ranking officers with the sacrificial redshirts. Been awhile since I watched the premier of ST:TNG but wasn’t that point made by Riker to Picard that the Captain would always stay on board during away missions? Of course that didn’t last long thank goodness. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/17 "2019-08-06T18:00:29Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > They should have put on pointy ears and called themselves “Science Officer”. That would be fascinating… Not fascinating. But it is… interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/18 "2019-08-07T17:28:41Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > So in NASA world, “pilot” is like “vice-president” in corporations. Everybody’s a vice-president. 😉 Maybe an even better analogy is how the corporate world has the CEO, but then there are the CFOs and CTOs and COOs and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-buzz-was-the-lunar-module-pilot-why-did-neil-land-it/837491/19 "2019-08-07T22:37:44Z")
I’m the flyer, he’s the lander. Duh. And if everyone on the landing crew is a red shirt, well, may as well end the series after the pilot.