Tech

Buzz Aldrin is Suing Two of His Own Kids Over Millions of Dollars in Space Memorabilia

Update: This article has been updated to include information from a letter obtained by NASA Watch that was issued to the Wall Street Journal by Aldrin’s lawyers which claims that Andrew never had access to his father’s personal credit cards and that Korp never had the ability to make payments to herself from Aldrin’s accounts.


advocate of Trump’s space force

Videos by VICE

Aldrin, who has previously sued a trading card company for using an image of him on the moon, claims that his son Andrew defrauded him of substantial amounts of money. “The amounts are unknown in amount but substantial, potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars,” the lawsuit alleges. Moreover, Aldrin alleges that his son, former manager Christina Korp, and daughter, Jan, all undermined his “personal romantic relationships” by forbidding him from getting married.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Jan and Andrew had asked a Florida court to appoint them as Aldrin’s co-guardians last month because they said he was “in cognitive decline.” In the lawsuit, Aldrin alleges that his children and Korp “used this tactic to gain further control over [Aldrin’s] personal relationships, business contacts, and assets.”

The lawsuit also names the ShareSpace Foundation, which was established by Aldrin to fund space-related educational projects for children. In the lawsuit, however, Aldrin claims that the Foundation was using his finances to fund “future educational endeavors,” whereas he required that they fund “current” educational projects. Although Buzz Aldrin is listed as the chairman of ShareSpace on the foundation’s website, a statement on the Buzz Aldrin Ventures website claims he is no longer serves on the foundation’s board of directors.

Read More: Buzz Aldrin’s South Pole Visit Took a Crazy Turn

Aldrin’s lawsuit calls for removing his son as the trustee of Aldrin’s estate, which includes “millions of dollars” of space memorabilia from Aldrin’s time as a member of the NASA Apollo missions. In addition, the lawsuit demands that Korp stop representing Aldrin’s interests, including the ShareSpace foundation, where she serves on the board.

The lawsuit came to light after Aldrin’s Twitter account began posting again after a six-week hiatus. One of the initial tweets called out Korp and said she had been fired in her position. This was contested by the foundation, which said Korp “had not been terminated,” which would require a majority vote from the board of directors.

In addition to the lawsuit, Aldrin will be undergoing a competency examination this week to prove that he is still able to manage his own affairs.

In a letter from Aldrin’s lawyers to the Wall Street Journal obtained by NASA Watch on Tuesday, Aldrin’s lawyers claim that Andrew never had access to his father’s credit cards, and that neither Andrew nor Korp “had the ability to pay or reimburse themselves in anyway.” Furthermore, the letters state that Aldrin’s space memorabilia are bequeathed to the ShareSpace foundation in Aldrin’s will and any proceeds from their sale or use in exhibitions will go to charity and cannot be used for personal gain.