Jul 19, 2009

Apollo astronauts look ahead ... to Mars?


Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin, left, and Neil Armstrong participate in a panel discussion during the National Aviation Hall of Fame Spirit of Flight Award at the National Museum of the USAF on Friday in Dayton, Ohio.





40 years after first landing on moon, explorers point in new directions
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 12:05 a.m. ET July 20, 2009

WASHINGTON - The astronauts who first landed on the moon aren't dwelling on their small lunar steps. Instead, two of them on Sunday urged mankind to take a giant leap to Mars.

In one of their few joint public appearances, the crew of Apollo 11 spoke on the eve of the 40th anniversary of man's first landing on the moon, but didn't get soggy with nostalgia. They preferred to talk about the future and the more distant past.

On Monday, the three astronauts will get another chance to make the pitch for a Mars trip, this time to someone with a little more sway: President Barack Obama.

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