Ninth Anniversary of the First Moon Landing Statement by the President.

Nine years ago today, the world paused to watch two brave men tread the surface of the Moon. It was a moment without precedent in human experience, a moment when terrestrial life reached out to touch another world. It is a source of pride for us that those men were Americans. Today, the lunar surface is crisscrossed in a half dozen places with the footprints of American astronauts and implanted with a variety of American scientific instruments.

The space shuttle, our next major manned space project, will begin regular, routine, economical operation in the early 1980's. Through it, we will use the vantage point of space to learn more about the Earth's surface features and processes and to improve our ability to manage our resources and cope with natural phenomena. We will continue to develop technology to realize the full potential of space communications and other practical applications of space technology.

In the deeper reaches of space, we will continue to seek to expand our knowledge of the solar system and the universe of which we are a part.

As time and technology take us ever more deeply into the space age, it will continue to be our policy to conduct operations in space as required for our national well-being and to support the right of all nations to do likewise. In so doing, we remain committed to the underlying principle of the exploration and use of space for peaceful purposes and for the benefit of all mankind.