Apollo Astronauts Bemoan State Of U.S. Space Program

Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin (C) speaks at the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and his walk on the moon while at the NASA Headquarters in Washington July 20, 2009. From (L-R) David Scott (Apollo 15), Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) and Charles Duke (Apollo 16). REUTERS/Larry Downing

From Reuters:

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The U.S. investment in the Apollo space program, which landed men on the moon, paid off handsomely, unlike the $100 billion plowed into the International Space Station, Apollo's pioneering astronauts said on Monday.

""We opened the door to future of exploration by touching down on another body," Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the moon, said at a press conference commemorating the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing.

The United States staged six successful missions to the moon between 1969 and 1972, then developed the space shuttles and later, the space station.

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