Return to Earth (film) moon, and the problems he had after the mission and his return to Earth, including the breakup of his marriage, a nervous breakdown and his hospitalization for psychiatric problems. Return to Earth (film) Return to Earth is a 1976 American biopic TV movie that originally aired on May 14, 1976 on ABC. The film stars Cliff Robertson as astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Shirley Knight as Joan Aldrin. Based upon Aldrin's 1973 book of the same name, the film dramatizes the emotional difficulties of Aldrin's life following his trip to the moon on Apollo 11. The film was directed by Jud
Buzz Aldrin in their honor in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. An official state dinner that evening in Los Angeles celebrated the flight. President Richard Nixon honored each of them with a presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This was the beginning of a 45-day "Giant Leap" tour that brought the astronauts to 25 foreign countries and included visits with prominent leaders such as Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. On September 16, 1969, the astronauts addressed a joint session of Congress. With the Apollo Program coming to an end, Aldrin saw few prospects at NASA, and decided to