Trump meets Apollo 11 astronauts on 50th anniversary of moon landing
Mr Trump told them ‘we are bringing the glamour back’ to the space programme.
President Donald Trump marked the 50th anniversary of the first human steps on the moon at an Oval Office meeting Friday with former Apollo 11 astronauts.
Flanked by Buzz Aldrin, Mike Collins and the family of mission commander Neil Armstrong in the Oval Office, Mr Trump was briefed on his administration’s plans to send astronauts back to the moon and on to Mars, as well as advances in commercial spaceflight and the reusability of space systems.
“We are bringing the glamour back” to the space programme, Mr Trump said at the event, where he was joined by First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine.
Nasa’s current plans include a moon as a celestial stepping-stone to Mars.
Mr Aldrin told Mr Trump he was disappointed that even more advancements have not been made in space over the last decade.
Vice President Mike Pence will mark the anniversary Saturday with a visit and speech at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
