Apollo Astronauts Call on Americans to Reach for Stars

Neil A. Armstrong, who stepped into history 20 years ago as the first man on the moon, joined his Apollo 11 crew mates in a rare public appearance Friday, and they called on America to reach for the stars.

At a news conference marking the anniversary of their July, 1969, flight, Armstrong, 58, endorsed NASA’s plans to build a space station, and Edwin (Buzz) Aldrin, 59, and Michael Collins, 58, envisioned travel to Mars and beyond.

“Ten years ago, I did make a statement endorsing the concept of a permanent presence in space,” Armstrong said. “I guess I still feel that’s a worthy objective. I hope that space station Freedom becomes a reality before we have another 10 years go by.”

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which put Armstrong and Aldrin on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969, while Collins orbited overhead, plans to build the space station by the end of the century.

But Freedom is threatened by budget cuts and an absence of the national enthusiasm that Apollo enjoyed after President John F. Kennedy pledged to land a man on the moon.