Nixon

55 Years Ago: Space Task Group Proposes Post-Apollo Plan to President Nixon

55 Years Ago: President Nixon Establishes Space Task Group to Chart Post-Apollo Plans

In 1969, Nixon appointed a Space Task Group which presented recommendations including building an Earth-orbiting space station, a lunar-orbiting space station, a base on the lunar surface, and a human expedition to Mars. They were too expensive, so Nixon directed NASA to build the Space Shuttle

Upon returning to Earth, Apollo 11 astronauts went on a 38-day around the world goodwill tour, visiting 29 cities in 24 countries, at the request of President Nixon. They wanted to emphasize that the Moon landing was done for humanity, not just for Americans

Neil Armstrong knew about the possibility of Nixon phoning them on the Moon but nobody told Buzz and he was completely caught off guard. Both men felt stunned by the President's unexpected phone call and Buzz didn't prepare any profound statement so he let Neil do the talking

The Apollo 17 astronauts, last men to the Moon, participated in Richard Nixon’s second inauguration parade. The Apollo Lunar Rover used in the parade required the replacement of two batteries for the distance from the Capitol to the White House, due to their limited 30-minute life

Carpetbaggers, Confederates, and Richard Nixon: The 1960 Presidential Election, Historical Memory, and the Republican Southern Strategy

President Nixon decided that 135 countries of the world each deserved to have a piece of the moon collected by American astronauts, so he gave away Goodwill Moon Rocks. It is believed that as many as half of the Goodwill Moon Rocks have been lost or stolen