Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11: Back to the Moon

The Moon is a treasure chest of science. The lunar samples returned during the Apollo program dramatically changed our view of the solar system, yet they just scratch the surface of what we know about the Moon — knowledge that can be acquired with a sustained human and robotic presence on the Moon. Although Americans first walked on its surface 50 years ago, footprints were left at only six sites during a total of 16 days on the surface. The next wave of lunar exploration will be fundamentally different.