Buzz has advocated for the human breakout into space, and tirelessly worked to inspire young people to reach for the stars.. and in the 50 years since his giant leap on the Moon, he has never slowed down in his quest to help humanity take our next steps into the space frontier.

The EarthLight Foundation is proud to announce the 2019 Space Cowboy Award will be presented to Dr. “Buzz” Aldrin, member of the Apollo mission to the Moon, and longtime activist for the human exploration and settlement of space. The award will be presented to Dr. Aldrin at the Space Cowboy Ball on November 16, 2019 at the prestigious Bullock Texas State History Museum, in Austin, Texas.

“We are presenting Buzz with the Space Cowboy Award not so much for being part of the first mission to the Moon, but for what he has done ever since,” explained EarthLight Foundation’s founder and chairman of the board, Rick Tumlinson. “Ever since Apollo he has advocated for the human breakout into space, and tirelessly worked to inspire young people to reach for the stars. Buzz is a known leader in the space community, and in the 50 years since he and Neil Armstrong’s giant leap on the Moon, he has never slowed down in his quest to help humanity take our next steps into the space frontier.”

The Award was received by Jeff Bezos last year for his company Blue Origin’s work on developing space infrastructure, with previous winners including: Etienne Schneider, the Deputy Prime Minister of Luxembourg for his support of space resource development, including a $200 million investment fund, and the first non-US space resource national policy; and Dr. Pete Worden of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation for his lifelong work on space projects, ranging from one of the first missions to find water on the Moon to the DC-X re–usable rocket and many others.

“The Space Cowboy Award is presented to a person who has ridden out ahead of their field or community, made significant contributions to the opening of the space frontier, and helped guide humanity toward a better future in space,” said Haroon Oqab, EarthLight Foundation’s executive director. “We honor someone whose work, spirit and legacy have blazed the trail of technologies, broken down the risks, or driven forward culture and community in the name of human settlement beyond the borders of Earth.”

The Space Cowboy Ball MCs will be Cas Anvar, star of the Amazon Prime sci-fi hit "The Expanse" and Ingrid Vanderveldt, former Entrepreneur in Residence for Dell and Founder of Empowering a Billion Women by 2020 (EBW2020). A large plaque designed by world-renowned space artist Pat Rawlings, and sculpted by Texas artist Stuart Simpson, will be presented to Dr. Aldrin.

The Space Cowboy Ball is a fundraiser for the EarthLight Foundation’s new Endowment for Tomorrow, supporting STEAM Space education and research projects that further the human settlement of space while benefiting the Earth. The event also caps the New Worlds Conference, a two-day series of discussions and interactive sessions focused on moving humanity closer to the permanent settlement of space. Additionally, The Space Cowboy Ball will feature the presentation of the Odyssey Award, given to a work of TV, film, or literature, portraying humanity breaking out into the future. The EarthLight Foundation is a 501c3 educational not for profit.