Moon-landing anniversary remembered

(KXAN/NBC) - 40 years ago, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon.

Barbara Shelby Merello was in her 30s. She remembers watching the Apollo 11 crew on a black and white television, marveling at what the astronauts had done.

"Kennedy said we should do it, and by God, we did!" said Merello. "I'm not sure how! When I think back at that time, I wonder how in the world did we manage to do it. It was one of the most tumultuous times in our history."

The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library & Museum held a special space exhibit, which ended Monday. Thousands of visitors had a chance to study the rockets and rare artifacts of the time, making it one of the most popular exhibits the museum has ever had.

"I think today is a time to look back and see what these brave men and women accomplished in less than 10 years," said Anne Wheeler, Lyndon Baines Johnson Library & Museum Communications Director.

40 years after man's first moonwalk, Apollo 11 is inspiring a new generation.

Sally Martinez is 9 years old, but she knows exactly what she wants to do when she grows up. She dreams of one day traveling to space.

"I want to be an astronaut," said Martinez. "I think it's really cool to be in space. My science teacher told me that's most likely for someone my age in maybe 30 years to be the first person to set foot on Mars, and I hope that's me."

From the moon to possibly Mars, Apollo 11 crew members blazed a trail of space travel as we know it.

"This is what human beings do," said Merello. "We explore."

This morning, Apollo astronauts celebrating Monday's anniversary sat down to remember their mission and look ahead to whether America's "glory days" in space are over or just beginning?

Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, instantly catapulting America to the forefront of space exploration.

"The greatest legacy we have, I think, from Apollo is the inspiration it provided for those young dreamers who followed in our foot steps," said Eugene Cernan, Apollo 10 and 17 astronaut.

Cernan was the last American astronaut to set foot on the moon.

"I really believed we'd be back to moon by end of that decade and on way to Mars by turn of century," said Cernan. "My glass has been half empty for three decades."

And there is disagreement on what the next step should be.

"There's a lot still to be done on the moon," said James Lovell, Apollo 8 and 13.

"America to Mars is what it ought to be, not America back to the moon," said Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut.

But a trip to Mars could cost far more than the @100 billion the U.S. has already spent on building the International Space Station and in these tight economic times - with hundreds of thousands of jobs disappearing every month and health care driving massive deficits, the biggest concern may be whether American can afford to explore.

"Until we're willing to pay the price, American public is not going to have a very aggressive space program again," said Walter Cunningham, Apollo 7 astronaut.

The glory days of space exploration is now history with America's future in space yet unknown.

NASA's budget right now is almost $18 billion. President Obama's asking for almost another billion next year but then leveling off after that through 2014.

On a neat note, Google pioneered "Google Moon" which is an interactive map of the moon and explains the moon landings. Click here to check it out.