There are celebrity endorsements – and then there is Buzz Aldrin. Instead of being endorsed by the dregs of Hollywood, Donald Trump has been endorsed by the American dream.

The race for the moon was a pivotal moment in human history led by a Democrat presidency in its heyday. It remains one of the Left’s emotional links to greatness in the same way that the British Tory Prime Ministers conjure up Churchill’s words when they are feeling vulnerable.

When Buzz Aldrin stands beside Trump, so too does the spirit of the space race amplified by Elon Musk wearing his ‘Colonise Mars’ T-shirt.

The message could not be clearer: Trump has inherited the spirit of John F. Kennedy’s ‘We choose to go to the Moon’ speech of 1962.

With Trump, Musk, and Buzz – America is a space-faring nation.

With Biden, Harris, and Walz – America is going to Venezuela.

Trump has dreams, Harris has nightmares.

Trump is moving the nation forward, Harris is dragging Americans backwards.

These are powerful feelings that do not need to be articulated in the bold text of a marketing campaign to be effective. They are simply understood.

Brigadier General Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, had this to say on October 30:

‘America is a nation of bold ambition, hope, and energy. We are a nation of free thought, free association, and free movement. We are a nation that allows the best of humanity to emerge, and we strive for great things. Only in America, the nation that I love, believe in, and took an oath to defend, do you find our spirit, the vision to break boundaries, turn impossible feats into reality.

‘A half-century ago, I was part of an important effort to put a human being on the Moon. It was an honour to serve my country in that capacity. I am proud of what we accomplished then. While it has been 55 years since Americans set foot on the Moon, the only nation ever to do so, that effort continues to inspire new generations of Americans – to press ahead, blaze new trails of understanding, and expand our presence in space, For All Mankind. I have dedicated my life to the pursuit of scientific understanding, exploration, and an enduring human presence in space. The importance of that mission, that calling, runs through every fibre of my being.

‘Over the years, I have seen our government’s approach to space wax and wane, a fluctuating dynamic that has disappointed me from time to time. But under the first Trump Administration, I was impressed to see how human space exploration was elevated, made a policy of high importance again. Under President Trump’s first term, America saw a revitalised interest in space. His Administration reignited national efforts to get back to the Moon, and push on to Mars – programs that continue today.

‘The Trump Administration also reinstituted the National Space Council, so leading voices could advocate for the importance of space to America.  Finally, under President Trump, the Nation’s defence was enhanced with the creation of the US Space Force– increasingly important as space becomes a contested domain. At the same time, I have been enthused and excited by the great advancements in the private sector space economy, led by visionaries like Elon Musk. These are concrete accomplishments that align with my concerns and America’s policy priorities.

‘More broadly, we are facing serious and difficult realities on the global security landscape. Domestically, we face major economic challenges, stability in our communities, and rule of law concerns. For these reasons and others, we need a proven, serious, tested leader for President.

‘The Presidency requires an understanding of human nature, clarity in judgement, decisiveness, knowledge, understanding, and calm under pressures few have a natural ability to manage, or the life experience to successfully undertake. It is a job where decisions are made that routinely involve American lives – some urgently but not without thought. The job requires sober analysis of frightening scenarios, and the instinct to lead with resolve.

‘From the skies over Korea in air-to-air combat to navigating, landing, and walking on the Moon, I appreciate this kind of pressure. I know what it is like to have to make these kinds of decisions, firmly, on principle, with resolve and follow-through. Training, experience, and trust matter.

‘In this election, we have a choice. We all have one vote. For some, the choice may not be easy – but in times of uncertainty real leaders are most needed – to guide and inspire a people, to push through the noise, recognise what really matters, and accomplish missions critical to all citizens.

‘Most citizens rightly consider it an honour to cast their vote for a leader they believe will best serve the nation – our government by, for and of the people. For me, for the future of our nation, to meet enormous challenges, and for the proven policy accomplishments above, I believe the nation is best served by voting for Donald J. Trump. I wholeheartedly endorse him for President of the United States. Godspeed President Trump, and God Bless the United States of America.’

It’s not surprising to find a man who loves space exploration placing himself beside Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

How difficult it must be for Buzz Aldrin to watch Americans lose so much trust in their institutions – the government, scientists, and the press – that 20 per cent think the Moon landing was faked. Never mind that there were six separate successful missions that landed on the Moon launched by America. Three stations brought us this historic moment, and two of them were in Australia. The California images from Goldstone were poor quality so they switched to Australia’s Honeysuckle Creek installation. Moon landing footage was grainy because of low signal strength from the smaller dish but it did not stop the world watching humanity’s first step on a foreign body. After 8 minutes and 51 seconds, the much larger dish in Parkes took over and continued for 2.5 hours. When we deny the Moon landing, we rob Australia of one of its greatest scientific achievements.

Since the Moon race began, the following nations and organisations have reached the Moon: the Soviet Union, America, Japan, the European Space Agency, Japan, China, India, Luxembourg, Israel, Italy, South Korea, the UAE, Russia, Mexico, and even Pakistan. China has been to the dark side of the Moon while India was the first to land near its South Pole. Roughly half of all Moon missions fail. 676 people have flown in space, with 19 of them dying. With the commercialisation of space underway, this figure will climb. Space is destined for the same future as Mt Everest but with a vision beyond that as a gateway to the stars. The truth is, human exploration has always been purchased with human lives.

There is something wonderfully human about the way we stumbled across the Moon. We left six flags up there – although the famous one from Apollo 11, which graces the covers of our magazines, was blown over immediately by the Lunar Module taking off. Whoops. Humans often fall on their faces when leaping through history. Three of the other flags were planted further away from the takeoff sites and have had their shadows photographed. Soon they will be bleached entirely white – the nation that left them there rendered a mystery to any curious being that comes across the nylon fragments. In a detail that would tickle Trump, Alan Shepard even hit two golf balls on the moon. They will survive.

We also took things from the Moon – roughly 382 kg of Moon rocks from the six lunar sites. These have been studied extensively and proved instrumental in determining the age of the Moon and added weight to the theory that the Moon formed from the Earth following a violent collision. The Moon is part of us and a lesson about the cataclysmic, uncaring nature of the universe that can reset us at a moment’s notice. These rocks are housed at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston along with some that remain on loan to museums around the world.

As a gesture, then-President Richard Nixon ordered sample 70017 from the Apollo 17 mission cut up and sent to each American State and 135 foreign heads of state – a unifying gesture or perhaps a ‘look what we did’.

We know how Buzz Aldrin feels about this loss of belief in the space race because in 2002 he punched a man in the face who was heckling him about Apollo 11. The best way to restore the truth is to continue building upon it and to remind the world that yes, humans have conquered space and soon we will be moving through the rest of the solar system. It is a long way from crawling between the stars, but we have to start somewhere. Our governments would have us trapped in 15 minute cities and taxed if we go down the wrong street. These are not the same futures.

Nations often start to doubt the truth of their great historical moments as the general shine wears off the empire. We’ve seen this many times before where known historical battles along with rulers and war generals end up branded as ‘lies’.

To remain great, civilisations have to keep looking forward – from the Moon to Mars – in this case, otherwise the truth dies with the dreams that gave them life.

America is in danger of collapsing under its own weight, like a dying star. As it fails, it will drag everything toward its corpse – in the real world, this may result in wars that pop up, waged by opportunistic rivals hoping to consume the edges of the empire and redraw the map.

An America that plants flags on Mars is more formidable on Earth than an empire that cannot keep its Southern border secure.