Apollo 11 Anniversary Message of the President.

On July 20, 1969, man first reached out and touched an extraterrestrial body in the solar system. That touch, those first footsteps on the moon, greatly enlarged our thinking about our future on earth and beyond. The moon was no longer simply our visitor, to recall Shakespeare's phrase, for we had visited the moon.

The touchdown of the Apollo 11 Eagle in the Sea of Tranquility is an unforgettable milestone in the history of exploration. Whatever else historians of the future may say about this century, they will surely describe our nation as dynamic and resourceful. Not only did we fulfill mankind's age-old dream of human flight, but we also successfully ventured into space.

At this moment, automated extensions of human intelligence—Viking, Pioneer and Voyager spacecraft—are exploring the solar system. While orbital observatories search the distant universe, satellites are providing data which may someday help us better to preserve and manage our earth. We look forward, as early as next year, to even greater knowledge when the Space Shuttle brings us easier, more economical and more regular access to space.

Today, as we observe the tenth anniversary of the lunar landings, our determination must be to ensure that the possibilities we have glimpsed from our Apollo missions will be developed for the benefit of all mankind.

JIMMY CARTER