Aim for Mars, Apollo 11 crew says [View All]

[IDemo]

Source: USA TODAY

By Traci Watson, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — On the eve of the 40th anniversary of the first human moon landing, the astronauts on that storied mission spoke of their great luck in being the first to go to the moon and lamented that NASA is working to send humans not to Mars but back to the moon.

In a rare joint appearance Sunday, the members of the Apollo 11 crew recognized that what for them had been a daring flight was also a stand-in for hostilities between the Soviet Union and the United States.

40 YEARS LATER: What's the next step?

"The space race faded away. It was the ultimate peaceful competition," said Neil Armstrong, 78, and it "did allow both sides to take the high road."

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2009-07-19-apollo-crew_N.htm