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Fifty years after his Apollo 16 mission to the moon, retired NASA astronaut Charlie Duke says he's ready for the U.S. to get back to lunar exploration. Part of that effort, Duke said Friday, will come in the form of the Artemis program, which includes NASA's upcoming flight to the moon using its new Space Launch System rocket. The first of the huge rockets is supposed to blast off without crew later this year, with crewed flights planned subsequently. "With Artemis, NASA is going to be focused on deep space, to the moon and beyond, and I'm excited about...

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who just took over leadership of the Senate’s space committee, hosted Buzz Aldrin and other former NASA astronauts on Capitol Hill Tuesday for a discussion on space exploration.Cruz opened Tuesday’s hearing of the subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness by calling for more NASA and commercial space activity. “The year 2015 is just as critical of a time for our national and commercial space programs as was the case a half century ago,” the Texas Republican said. “Future exploration is certain to present hardships. But it also promises high rewards. New resources, frontiers and economic opportunities.”Cruz...

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness, will hold his first hearings on "U.S. Human Exploration Goals and Commercial Space Competitiveness” next week, according to a Thursday story In Space Policy Online. Among the eclectic group of former astronauts, business leaders, and academics that will constitute the witness list will be Apollo moonwalker Buzz Aldrin. The hearings will also serve as an opportunity for Cruz to flesh out his views on the future of the American space program. Cruz has previously stated his desire to return NASA to its core function of...

American icon Neil Armstrong, the first man ever to walk on the moon, was recovering from heart surgery Wednesday (Aug. 8), with well-wishes pouring in from NASA. Armstrong, who celebrated his 82nd birthday Sunday, underwent cardiac bypass surgery on Tuesday after a health checkup, according to NBCNews.com, which stated that the celebrated astronaut is doing well.

A Bolivian Journalist, Mr Eduardo Ascarrunz, has claimed that Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on moon, confided in him that a UFO followed the astronauts on the Apollo XI mission. Aldrin allegedly told the journalist that 'The significance of July 20 1969 is not that man's feet touched the lunar surface but that on that day we realised that humans share the universe with other intelligent beings'. NASA is said to have gone to considerable efforts to cover up this UFO event. Aldrin is said to have made the comments regarding his UFO experience on one of a...