Buzz Aldrin — the former astronaut who became the second person to set foot on the moon and who is now the world's coolest grandad — is using virtual reality software to explain how humans could one day colonize Mars.

The 87-year-old's 10-minute VR experience, titled "Cycling Pathways to Mars," features a holographic Buzz walking viewers through his incredibly thought-out and detailed plans to relocate humans on the red planet. A damn sight better than the bedtime stories your grandad told you, huh?

Decades in the making, Buzz's plans envisage having two spaceships shuttling between Earth and Mars on six-months schedules, co-ordinating the dates to when the planets are closest together. According to Engadget's Nathan Ingraham, who tried out the experience earlier this week, smaller launchers would dock with the two big cycling ships before undocking at Mars' moon, Phobos, and eventually down to the planet's surface.

Buzz has made clear, though, that he thinks we should colonize the planet — meaning some people won't come back. "I think it's better to do [let people live there permanently] than to go through the expense of having people there for a year and a half, two years and then bring them home," Aldrin said. "Especially if they have prepared to and made the decision, have the willingness and desire to go and spend the rest of their lives there, pioneering."

He added, "I think the objective is to expand the human race outward, and [Mars is] the most likely place to set up permanently."

Head over to Engadget to find out how Buzz thinks his plans could be made into reality.

In other news, Netflix is replacing its star ratings with thumbs up or thumbs down.