Two hours before the original almost original moonwalker took to the stage, the queue was already snaking round the Royal Festival Hall. Not necessarily to watch the sell-out talk, or to meet the astronaut himself, but merely to buy a pre-signed copy of his autobiography Magnificent Desolation. Such is the pulling power of the second man on the moon.

Personally, I can’t be bothered to read it. The story of the first moon landing has been told so many times that another read-through, even from someone who was there, would seem tedious. Any fresh nuggets or insights worth knowing about will make it onto blogs and Twitter for sure.

Watching Buzz live at the Royal Festival Hall, though, is another matter. For a space nut like me it was almost a religious experience to be in the presence of such a person, and I wasn’t alone in that feeling. As he walked on stage the crowd of several thousand gave a sustained round of applause, with many people offering a standing ovation. And that was before he’d even spoken.

His talk was brief. A well-rehearsed potted version of his autobiography touched on early influences (including his aviation pioneer father), his time in the air force and at MIT taking a doctorate, his battle with alcoholism and, of course, his trip to the moon. There were few surprises. As always with these things, the most interesting section was the Q&A, based on questions submitted by the audience before the event. Host Andrew Smith (author of the excellent Moondust) pitched questions from the young and old. Would Buzz go back? No. Where else should we explore? Mars. Was he ever nervous? No, what would be the point? OK, on refllection, these weren’t too insightful either. If only they’d chosen my twin flatulance-related questions: ‘What did Neil’s farts smell like’? and ‘If you fart in a space suit, how long does it linger?’.

So, few real surprises, but how glorious to watch someone whose name will still be remembered long after that recently deceased ‘moonwalker’ falls into obscurity. Or will it? I’ve been excitedly talking about this event ever since I booked my ticket. More than once, a friend has commented “Buzz Aldrin? Don’t know him, but cool name.” How sad is that?