LOS ANGELES (AP) — Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, but he won’t
be spending any more time on the dance floor.

The 80-year-old astronaut was eliminated Tuesday from “Dancing With
the Stars.”

Aldrin and his professional partner, Ashly Costa, consistently
finished in last place during the ABC show’s three weeks of
competition. He earned just 13 points out of 30 for his waltz on
Monday’s episode.

Still, Costa told him “I’m proud of you” after the couple learned
their fate.

Aldrin said he surprised himself by appearing on the hit ABC
show.

“I never thought I’d walk on the moon, but I certainly never
thought I’d dance on TV,” he said on Tuesday’s episode.

Host Tom Bergeron told Aldrin that he remembers watching the moon
mission on TV as a kid and that he was honored to work with the
legendary astronaut.

Aldrin said he joined the “Dancing” cast to inspire interest in the
space program and to honor veterans and “elder geezers.”

“I did this show for the fighter pilots out there, the military
people and the elder geezers like me who would just like to see an
elder come back week after week,” Aldrin said. “I’m interested also
in having the public be thankful for the great successes we had in
the Apollo program and look forward to even greater successes in
the future.”

Judges’ scores are combined with viewer votes to determine which
celebrity is eliminated each week.

Tuesday’s episode also featured a performance by Reba McEntire, who
said her “Dancing” favorites are Olympic figure skater Evan
Lysacek, sportscaster Erin Andrews and singer Nicole
Scherzinger.

Besides those three, the remaining competitors include reality TV
stars Jake Pavelka and Kate Gosselin, actors Pamela Anderson, Niecy
Nash and Aiden Turner, and football star Chad Ochocinco.

Each will perform again Monday, when they will earn two separate
scores from each judge, one for technique and one for
performance.