First man on the moon Armstrong says Obama is 'poorly advised' on space

Washington, May 13 (ANI): Appearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation here, Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon (in 1969), has said that President Barack Obama is "poorly advised" on space matters.

Armstrong said the Obama administration's plan to end the Constellation program and cut other space efforts appeared to be made without input from NASA or the president's science adviser.

"I have yet to find a person in NASA, the Defense Department, the Air Force, the National Academies, industry, or academia that had any knowledge of the plan prior to its announcement," the Apollo 11 commander told the committee, according to Politico.

Armstrong said the United States "has invested substantially for more than half a century to acquire a position of leadership in space" but that "to maintain a leadership position requires steadfast determination and a continuing investment in the future."

He added: "If the leadership we have acquired through our investment is allowed simply to fade away, other nations will surely step in where we have faltered. I do not believe that this ould be in our best interests." (ANI)