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On National Selfie Day, a reminder Buzz Aldrin took the first space selfie

The astronaut beat the selfie trend by decades with an out-of-this-world 1966 photo.

Sean Keane Former Senior Writer
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Astronaut Buzz Aldrin may not have tweeted from space, but he did take a selfie that was out of this world.

Buzz Aldrin

Let's just crown Buzz Aldrin King of National Selfie Day. We can celebrate our ongoing and passionate love affair with snapping photos of ourselves, but our Earth-bound snaps can't possibly achieve the same glorious heights as Aldrin's first space selfie.

The former astronaut responded to a fan's wish that he tweeted from space by reminding us of his photographic feat. 

"I would have loved to see @TheRealBuzz tweeting from the moon. That alone would have made the trip worthwhile," wrote Twitter user Fred Bones.

Last year, the 89-year-old former astronaut was quick to respond.

"No tweets but I did take the first selfie! In, from space! That was one expensive selfie stick!" he tweeted.

Aldrin took the shot during NASA's 1966 Gemini 12 mission, which was his first spaceflight and focused on extravehicular activity (EVA). In 2015, a vintage print of the selfie sold for around $9,200 at an auction in London.

Watch this: Everything we know about NASA's Space Launch System

He took part in the more famous Apollo 11 mission -- during which he became the second man to walk on the moon and the first to urinate there -- in 1969. The 50th anniversary of that historic mission is now just weeks away. 

National Selfie Day: Striking space selfies snapped beyond Earth

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Originally published June 21, 2018. 
Update, June 21, 2019: Adds reference to National Selfie Day and the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11.