Aldrin warns US risks falling behind in space race

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

LONDON (AFP) — Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, warned in an interview published Sunday that the United States risked falling behind Russia and China in the space race if it did not redouble its efforts.

Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Aldrin urged US presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama to "retain the vision for space exploration" and said he would lobby both to ensure they increased funding for NASA.

"If we turn our backs on the vision again, we're going to have to live in a secondary position in human space flight for the rest of the century," Aldrin was quoted as saying by the weekly.

"All the Chinese have to do is fly around the Moon and back, and they'll appear to have won the return to the Moon with humans. They could put one...