Former Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, is calling on President Obama to create a “United Nations” type of initiative to build a manned station on Mars.
Aldrin, promoting his latest book, a life lessons page-turner titled No Dream is Too High, told the Secrets that the effort should include Europe, Japan, China and Russia, and that the U.S. should take the lead.
“The U.S. should come up with the concept,” he said. He even suggested a name: “The International Lunar Development Authority.” He compared it to past U.S. efforts to create world bodies such as the League of Nations and the United Nations.
“We seem to come up with these concepts,” said the nation’s top space cheerleader.
His plan is for a universal station, shared by the five powers, and initially tested on the moon before being moved to Mars. “The moon is a little closer, so if we know what we want to do on Mars … we could learn how to do it at the moon, make changes before we put similar things on Mars,” he said.
“Everyone could share the use of that design in getting what they want to do,” Aldrin said.
That, he concluded, would cut down on wasteful and expensive competition. “It is much better to be friends.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
