1st Man on Moon Backs Planned Space Station

WASHINGTON —  Neil A. Armstrong, who walked into history 20 years ago July as the first man on the moon, made a rare public appearance today with his two Apollo 11 crew mates and endorsed NASA’s planned space station.

At a news conference to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their historic flight, Armstrong, 58, Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin, 59, and Michael Collins, 58, reminisced about their July 16, 1969, blastoff atop a mighty Saturn 5 rocket and the mission that fulfilled President John F. Kennedy’s promise to land men on the moon before the end of the 1960s.

“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.”

Armstrong was referring to NASA’s plans to build a permanently manned space station in the late 1990s, a project that is threatened by budget cuts and a lack of political support.

Mars Mission Endorsed

Aldrin called for an evolutionary approach to exploring the solar system while Collins strongly endorsed a mission to Mars.

“I think this country should set a goal of exploring and setting up on Mars,” Collins said. “That is the one goal that . . . I think would have a unifying and perhaps even an electrifying effect on NASA and our space program.”

Armstrong and Aldrin touched down in the Sea of Tranquility on July 20, 1969, in a spider-like lunar module spacecraft called Eagle while Collins orbited 69 miles overhead in the gumdrop-shaped Apollo command module, Columbia.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” Armstrong said as he stepped onto the moon’s surface.

While Aldrin and Collins have granted interviews and written books, Armstrong, a very private man, has routinely refused to meet the press or make public appearances.