Buzz Aldrin Endorses Donald Trump for President

Buzz Aldrin says he's voting for Donald Trump for president ... and the famous former astronaut says space exploration is playing a big part in his endorsement.

Buzz, the second man to walk on the moon, says Trump deserves a second term because DT places high importance on space exploration ... praising his first administration for reigniting national efforts to get back to the moon and to travel to Mars.

In a lengthy statement Wednesday explaining his pick for president, Aldrin says he's a big fan of the U.S. Space Force, which was created during Trump's first term ... Buzz says the Space Force is "increasingly important as space becomes a contested domain." BA also applauded Trump for reinstating the National Space Council when he was in office.

The Apollo 11 alum even shouts out Elon Musk for making "great advancements in the private sector space economy" with his work at SpaceX ... calling Elon a "visionary." Elon's one of Trump's biggest, most outspoken -- and wealthy -- backers in this election.