The following is an edited transcript from the Space Chat conducted with Buzz Aldrin, former Gemini and Apollo astronaut. The discussion was moderated by CNN Interactive Editor Liza Hogan.

Buzz Aldrin: Hello all.

CNN_Host: What's your opinion of John Glenn's return to space?

Buzz Aldrin: Well, I think it's one of the most remarkable items of timing for the American people. Where we are in the space progress between the shuttle flights and the beginning of the space station construction and also the transition from this century into the next century, this is an exciting time period, because it's right in the middle of the 30th anniversary of the Apollo flights. Apollo 7's 30th anniversary was last month, and we are progressing about every 2 or 3 months through next July, which is the anniversary of Apollo 11 and then we reach, for me, the crucial year of 2000, when major decisions about the future of our space program can be discussed by the American electorate, leading to decisions that will influence the beginning of the next century.

CNN_Host: Would you go back into space if you had the opportunity?

Buzz Aldrin: I don't expect to have the opportunity. Everyone I believed who has been in space would welcome the chance to go again. For the last five - 10 years, I've been pursuing the objective of opening space for journalists and average citizens. So everything I do should be with that objective in mind and not satisfying my own desires for space flight.

CNN_Host: When do you feel that space exploration will reach the 'frontier' point where people can get out there and stake a claim for themselves? Is it even probable?

Buzz Aldrin: I don't see the opportunity for people to stake a claim in space at any reasonable time in the future. I see wonderful commercial opportunities for developing the resources that are on the moon, in the form of ice at the north and south poles of the moon and, I believe, the solar power satellite potential can grow to be enormous at some point early in the next century. People will go into space for their own enjoyment and sense of adventure but this will mostly be a personal matter, and the growing tourism in space will develop the reliable launch rockets - that will be sufficiently economical to incite political decisions to return to the moon and venture toward human presence on Mars.

CNN_Host: Buzz, any estimate on when the US will have the ability to go back to the moon?

Buzz Aldrin: My estimate for US lunar missions following the development of an initial growing tourism market in low earth orbit, would be reaching the moon around 2015.

CNN_Host: Are astronauts today different from your generation? In what way?

Buzz Aldrin: In the early pioneering astronauts, the emphasis was on test pilot and experimental activities developing the potential of space flight. We are now in an era of capitalizing on that experience, leading towards regular access to space in an increasingly economical fashion.

CNN_Host: What do you think is the most important event of the 20th century?

Buzz Aldrin: The transition from the Wright brothers flight in 1903 to the NASA success of reaching the moon in 1969 which led directly toward the ending of the cold war at the end of the century.

CNN_Host: Buzz, do you feel that the future of space travel and exploration will be more in the hands of the private sector and to what degree do you see the public sector playing a role in the next century?

Buzz Aldrin: I think the government, public supported, will develop the technologies that are needed for the economical commercial development of space and its cargo and human payloads.

CNN_Host: Don't you feel disappointed that space travel is now confined to orbiting the Earth?

Buzz Aldrin: Well, robotic spacecraft are venturing further and further with more varied and successful results. This will eventually lead to a resurgence of human activities beyond low earth orbit. Certainly, life science experiments in earth orbit only make sense if we are truly intending to extend human presence progressively outward.

CNN_Host: What would you have done if you didn't become an astronaut?

Buzz Aldrin: I would have completed a successful career in the United States Air Force.

CNN_Host: What was it like adjusting to "normal life" after being an astronaut?

Buzz Aldrin: I don't know yet. I haven't reached any normal life.

CNN_Host: Did you have any side effects - long-term or short-term - from going into space?

Buzz Aldrin: I don't think there were any effects directly attributable to space flight. However, the adjustment to becoming a sought after individual with celebrity status has required significant periods of adjustment.

CNN_Host: Dr. Aldrin, what will be the greatest challenge to John Glenn tomorrow during the launch?

Buzz Aldrin: I imagine the greatest adjustment could be the effects of zero gravity with the temptations to move around too rapidly. However, since I know John is a very cautious person, the biggest adjustment will probably come with the dealing with the post flight public relations demands on his time.

CNN_Host: What is your favorite memory as an astronaut?

Buzz Aldrin: There are so many wonderful experiences I remember as being an astronaut. I can't single out any one especially.

CNN_Host: Did you ever get sick while in space? I have heard that a large percentage of astronauts get sick while in space?

Buzz Aldrin: No, I didn't. I enjoyed every moment of it. I was exhilarated with experiencing the freedoms of zero gravity and impressed with the similarities with neutral buoyancy scuba diving.

CNN_Host: Buzz, if you could do it all over again, would you do anything differently?

Buzz Aldrin: As I look back, every choice that I made was consistent with that time. And I see no reason to change any of the major decisions. I regret not insisting that I be able to fly the astronaut maneuvering unit backpack on my Gemini 12 flight with Jim Lovell, and, secondly, in the early definition of the space shuttle as a two stage fully reusable system I regret that I didn't more strongly express my opinions against having a cockpit and a crew of two in the first stage booster rocket. That manned booster made that system too expensive, and was eventually compromised to the present shuttle design.

CNN_Host: Are you in regular contact with the other two members of the Apollo 11?

Buzz Aldrin: Not as much as I would like to be. I hope that we will have more opportunities together next summer during the several opportunities for 30th anniversary reunions of Apollo 11.

CNN_Host: Dr.Aldrin: how could you move on the surface of the Moon, was that easy for you?

Buzz Aldrin: If anything, it was easier than anticipated to move around on the lunar surface. The overall effect was one of a sense of slow motion.

CNN_Host: Mr. Aldrin: what did you think of the movie "The Right Stuff" and its portrayal of the "space race"?

Buzz Aldrin: I think the book "The Right Stuff" was generally accurate, but too compressed - to make the astronauts lives appear to be a series of one exciting event immediately following another. The movie was not at all realistic and it grossly overexaggerated many situations.

CNN_Host: Why are manned missions necessary? Why not save costs and devote to unmanned missions?

Buzz Aldrin: Because of an innate curiosity and desire of the human spirit to venture outward. This stimulates us spiritually and results in an exhilaratingly progressive society. Watching machines leads to stagnation.

CNN_Host: One thing I've been wondering, when you got that "program alarm" on the descent phase, what were you really thinking, was it "that's nothing" or "where's the abort handle?"

Buzz Aldrin: Neither of those extreme choices. We were disturbed at being interrupted from monitoring the smooth progression of the landing. And we needed clarification from mission control if the difficulty was such that it could cause future difficulties - problems I mean. I was deeply saddened at the tragedy of Apollo 1, especially the loss of my closest friend in the astronaut program, Ed White. We were together on the track team at West Point, had flown together F100 aircraft in Germany, and his entering the space program encouraged me to follow his path.

CNN_Host: Mr. Aldrin: How has your experience(in space flight)affected your religious beliefs, if any?

Buzz Aldrin: My spirituality before flight was evidenced by my status as an elder in the Presbyterian church together with John Glenn and during the Apollo 11 flight, I served myself communion on the surface of the moon. Since that time, my experiences have led to a broader interpretation, or a more universal evolution of spirituality, encompassing all faiths, but more attuned with some of Einstein's writings on his interpretations of human spirituality.

CNN_Host: Was there anything special that you took with you on your flight to the moon such as a book to keep to read or a trinket for good luck?

Buzz Aldrin: Well, the time doesn't allow me to really enumerate the many items I took along with me. Perhaps most symbolic, was a replica of a golden olive branch of peace that was added to the eagle on our crew patch.

CNN_Host: Dr. Aldrin, was it difficult emotionally to leave the moon's surface or were you relieved to be going home?

Buzz Aldrin: Like most enjoyable situations, I had mixed feelings of wanting the experience to continue, yet I was anxious to get on with the next milestones of flight, all of which needed to be successfully accomplished for overall success.

CNN_Host: How many miles or hours have you logged in space?

Buzz Aldrin: I have no idea how many miles. To me that's really a useless multiplication of time and relative speed. I think days per mission and major achievements are the important qualities.

CNN_Host: Buzz, some have criticized John Glenn's presence on this mission. Even if there's no scientific validity to his trip, do you think the public relations value will be beneficial enough to NASA to warrant the cost? (Personally, I'm all for his flight).

Buzz Aldrin: Yes, emphatically, more than enough.

CNN_Host: What was the most critical situation during Apollo 11?

Buzz Aldrin: I think the potential communication difficulties that could have precluded landing are generally underappreciated. The computer alarms during descent were disturbing, yet turned out to be not critical. The trajectory extensions that resulted in running low on fuel were certainly approaching criticality.

CNN_Host: What was the most memorable visual experience for you during your mission?

Buzz Aldrin: I think the entire visual situations of approaching the moon in a three dimensional fashion with nothing close behind us or underneath us was indeed a unique experience.

CNN_Host: Do you own a moon rock from your trip to the moon. I know most of the lunar soils and rocks are kept in vaults and protected.

Buzz Aldrin: No, I think NASA had some wonderful opportunities to symbolically present the crew members who reached the moon with a small piece of its surface during the bicentennial celebrations of 1976. Certainly, the opportunity should not be lost in the forthcoming 30th anniversaries of all the lunar flights. I feel that the deadline of the turn of the century should not pass without the administration recognizing the contributions of the Apollo crews.

CNN_Host: Do you think the ISS will ever be fully realized given the unstability of the Soviet program?

Buzz Aldrin: Many changes could have been made and perhaps should have been made in the original and follow on redesigns of the space station. Those are all behind us now. We need to proceed rapidly to launch a sustainable space station with as little dependence upon questionable foreign support.

CNN_Host: Mr. Aldrin, do you imagine a space colony on the moon in the next decade?

Buzz Aldrin: No, I think large numbers of people need to journey into space to help develop the cost-effective larger launch rockets. It will be necessary to initiate and sustain a lunar base, but this probably won't occur until after 12 to 15 years.

CNN_Host: Do you believe there is value to establishing a presence on the moon before we launch to Mars?

Buzz Aldrin: Yes, I definitely do.

CNN_Host: What do you feel should be the limits to exploration of space if any?

Buzz Aldrin: I don't see any limits to space exploration, except the vast distances and the speed of light.

CNN_Host: Mr. Aldrin, how can we stimulate interest in our space program and aerospace in general?

Buzz Aldrin: I think intense participation and creativity combined with widespread networking and communications is essential to advanced aerospace.

CNN_Host: Buzz: Tell us about the decision to have Neil walk onto the moon first?

Buzz Aldrin: I can't enumerate how many times that question has been answered. Neil was in the second group, I was in the third group. He was commander, therefore he was given the honor of being the first to exit the spacecraft.

CNN_Host: What do you do to entertain yourself AFTER you've been to space?

Buzz Aldrin: Well you scuba dive in fascinating parts of the world. You journey to the North Pole. You dive down to the Titanic. You create strategic, cost effective cycling orbits between Earth and Mars. You inventively suggest cost effective reusable first stage booster rockets. You stimulate the public's interest in participating in space flight by suggesting lottery type selection of passengers in space. Other than that, you just sit back and revel in past achievements.

CNN_Host: Dr. Aldrin, please tell us your view on the private companies, which are developing reusable launch vehicles, like Kistler, Rotary Rocket or Kelly Space. Do you think they will meet their goals?

Buzz Aldrin: Well, I strongly encourage their varied paths to the development of innovative rocketry. These efforts currently are at the low-end payload capabilities. My company's star booster concept uses existing rocket reliability and transforms expendable into reusable approaching the heavier end of payload delivery, including liquid fly back boosters for the shuttle, and providing significant savings in the delivery of the heaviest payloads to geo synchronous orbits.

CNN_Host: Mr. Aldrin, how would you compare today's astronauts to those of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo projects? Is having the 'right stuff' still the driving factor in today's selection process?

Buzz Aldrin: I certainly think there was a high degree of professionalism in the early astronauts. Perhaps they were more individually competitive. Today's astronauts are a remarkable blending of the widest capabilities possible. And certainly, the sky is the limit to their potential achievements. I hope to help employ many of them in future commercial tourism delivery spacecraft.

Buzz Aldrin: I've enjoyed tremendously communicating with all of you attentive folks.