US President Donald Trump tells NASA to send Americans to Moon

US President Donald Trump has directed NASA to send Americans to the Moon for the first time in decades, a move he said would help prepare for a future Mars trip.

The last time US astronauts visited the Moon was during the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s. On July 20, 1969, US astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon. 

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the newly revitalised



National Space Council, have previously vowed to explore the Moon again.A White House statement said the US will work with other nations and private industry to return astronauts to the Moon, developing the technology and means for manned exploration of Mars and other destinations in the solar system. Sending people to the Red Planet has been a goal of the United States for years. The first manned Mars mission is planned for sometime in the 2030s.