Former Astronaut Says Move Could Be "Disastrous"

Two of the men who were part of NASA's lunar program have told the BBC that the Obama Administration's decision to scrap a manned return to the moon could damage the nation's space program.

Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell told the BBC the move could be "disastrous." "Personally, I think it will have catastrophic consequences in our ability to explore space and the spin-offs we get from space technology," Lovell said. "They haven't thought through the consequences."

Eugene "Gene" Cernan (pictured, below), who in 1972 became the last man on the moon, said he thought the U.S. would have been back to the moon long before 2010. Cernan said he hopes humans will revisit the moon "sooner rather than later."

The Associated Press reports that the remarks came during a BBC program Friday at an event at the Royal Society. The Obama Administrations' NASA budget revealed last month cancelled the Constellation program, which was being designed for the next generation of U.S. human spaceflight. The $100 billion dollar program was deemed to be too expensive.

FMI: www.nasa.gov