Ahead of 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 Moon Landing, Senate Passes Bipartisan Cruz, Peters Bill to Protect the Apollo Landing Sites

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) today applauded the Senate's unanimous vote in support of their bipartisan bill that would allow NASA to preserve the Apollo landing sites on the moon. The One Small Step to Protect Human Heritage in Space Act provides legal recognition and protection for the Apollo sites and artifacts from intentional and unintentional disturbances from future missions. The bill passed a full Senate vote ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on July 20th.

"I applaud the Senate's passage of the bipartisan bill Senator Peters and I authored and introduced," Sen. Cruz said. "As we commemorate and remember the historic achievement of the Apollo 11 mission, this bill will rightly protect the Apollo sites and artifacts by mandating those who receive U.S. government licenses for lunar and near-lunar activities abide by NASA's recommendations on how to protect lunar artifacts. As we continue our efforts for further lunar exploration, we must ensure the preservation of our important history on the Moon."

Sen. Cruz's floor remarks may be viewed here. Sen. Peters' floor remarks may be viewed here. The full text of the bill may be viewed here.

###