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Media contact: Cynthia Medina, [email protected], 848-445-1940

Rutgers Lunar Expert Available to Discuss 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon Landing

New Brunswick, N.J. (June 26, 2019) – Rutgers scholar Haym Benaroya, an expert in space exploration and lunar settlement, is available to comment on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and how the perspective on lunar travel has changed in recent times.

“Those of us who witnessed the Apollo program -- and remember 50 years worth of promises to return to the moon with permanent settlements -- can be forgiven if they doubt that the current administration’s Space Policy Directive 1 and its goal of landing astronauts on the moon as a stepping stone to Mars will actually meet its target,” said Benaroya, a Distinguished Professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Rutgers University–New Brunswick.

“Despite popular and political apathy, a permanent base on the moon would benefit Americans and people across the world in countless ways, from spurring new private industries and innovations to importing raw materials and solar power that can benefit the Earth’s economies. Ongoing commercial efforts give hope that it will happen eventually, with or without the government. Fifty years from today, we will either regret that we kept dropping the ball or will point to all the benefits accrued since 2019 when we resumed our efforts to become a spacefaring civilization.”

Benaroya is the author of Turning Dust to Gold, Building a Future on the Moon and Mars and of Building Habitats on the Moon. Listen to his podcast on the John Batchelor Show on building habitats on the moon.

He can be reached at [email protected].

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Broadcast interviews: Rutgers University–New Brunswick has broadcast-quality TV and radio studios available for remote live or taped interviews with Rutgers experts. For more information, contact Neal Buccino [email protected]

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