Ford Oakville plant crew sends Buzz Aldrin over the moon with Lincoln Nautilus delivery

Buzz Aldrin is one of only 12 humans to have walked on the moon.

These days, getting a vehicle built and delivered in a timely fashion is nearly as impressive a feat.

Aldrin, the last surviving member of the Apollo 11 crew, ordered a 2022 Lincoln Nautilus crossover in October from Galpin Lincoln in California. He wanted it delivered in time for his 92nd birthday on Jan. 30, but his order sat unproduced for months amid the semiconductor shortage.

Ford Motor Co.‘s Oakville Assembly, home to the Nautilus and Ford Edge, has lost more than 120 days of production since the chip crisis began last year, according to AutoForecast Solutions.

That’s more downtime than any other Ford facility, AFS says.

But when you’re one of the world’s most famous astronauts, you tend to have connections.

Lincoln President Joy Falotico was alerted to Aldrin’s plight through a text from former Ford CEO Jim Hackett, who had been contacted by Aldrin’s team.

“He said, ‘Hey, can you help get this vehicle produced? It’s for a very special client named Buzz Aldrin, as in Buzz Aldrin the astronaut,’ ” Falotico said.

To underscore the point, Hackett sent her a photo of the December 1969 National Geographic with Aldrin on the cover.

Falotico said the team immediately worked to pull ahead his order and get it delivered.

“Our manufacturing folks got together, located the order, accelerated the order and made sure it went through,” she said. “We had shipping issues, weather issues; you name it, we had it. But there was a date that was set in January that was for his birthday they wanted to make sure it arrived by.”

Mission accomplished.

The team even added a special touch: a custom plaque inside the vehicle that reads “Especially made for Buzz Aldrin by Oakville Assembly Plant employees.”

Falotico said it was encouraging to watch the team accomplish its goal, although the episode was a sobering reminder of the widespread impact of the industry’s production issues.

“It’s affecting everybody,” she said. “We take them one at a time and do what we can to get them handled.”