Apollo 11 astronauts honoured

The three Apollo 11 astronauts have been welcomed to the White House by Barack Obama on the 40th anniversary of their historic moon landing.The US President has joined the world in celebrating their achievements."Very rarely do i have such an extraordinary pleasure as I have today, to welcome three iconic figures, three genuine American heroes," he said."To have Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin here beside me is just wonderful."In 1969, the trio made space history with the first successful mission to the moon, and Mr Obama says he was among those whose imagination was captured by the Apollo missions."I still recall sitting on my grandfather's shoulders when those capsules would land in the middle of the Pacific, and they'd get brought back and we'd go out and we'd pretend like they could see us as we were waving at folks coming home," he said.The first man to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong, credits the so-called 'space race' with diverting the United States and the Soviet Union from war."It was an exceptional national investment for both sides," he said.The lunar landings ended in 1972 and two of the Apollo team want america to go even further, with Michael Collins calling on Washington to pour money into bolder adventures."I'd like to see Mars become the focus, just as John F Kennedy focused on the moon," he said.A push echoed by Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, the showman of the trio."America do you still dream great dreams? Do you still believe in yourself? Are you ready for a great national challenge?President Obama says he wants NASA to be there for the next generation of American children dreaming of space exploration.