A large crowd followed Jesus when he crossed the Sea of Galilee, we read in this Sunday's gospel. Multitudes of television viewers worldwide followed the first moonwalk on July 20, 1969. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of that walk this week, the three astronauts involved in the Apollo 11 mission made a rare joint appearance aimed at reigniting interest in future manned space flights.

The astronauts and NASA mission control founder Christopher Kraft noted the technological advancement, spirit of national unity, and position of world leadership the Apollo program brought the U.S.

"NASA is the best return on investment that this country has ever seen," Kraft said. "What we need is new technology; we have not had that since Apollo . . . . I say to Mr. Obama: Let's get on with it. Let's invest in the future."

What's lacking, the astronauts said, is an inspiring goal, a motivating force, such as what the objective of landing on the moon did for the Apollo initiative. "To me, exploration is going someplace that you haven't been before," said Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, the second man to set foot on the moon.

Aldrin urged the country to commit to a colony on Mars, using an international lunar outpost as a stepping stone. "It was a great personal honor to walk on the moon, but as Neil [Armstrong] once observed, there are still places to go beyond belief. Isn't it time to continue our journey outward, past the moon?"

A presidential panel is reviewing options for the U.S. human space program and is expected to issue its recommendations next month. A National Research Council report released last week suggested NASA programs mesh more closely with national economic, environmental, and strategic goals.

Source: Articles by Clara Moskowitz for SPACE.com, Irene Klotz for Reuters,
Daniel Nasaw for Guardian.co.uk, and Jay Barbree for MSNBC