To the moon, Alice! To the moon!

kramden_powWASHINGTON—Ralph Kramden must have been a Democrat. For years he wanted wife Alice to beat Neil Armstrong to the moon. Or words to that effect. Now Democrat Representative Donna Edwards wants to commemorate one of the events.

If Representative Edwards from Maryland and Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas has her way, Ralph would have been able to take his wife there for their honeymoon (Pun intended, though poor). Edwards has submitted H.R. 2617, “To establish the Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historical Park on the Moon, and for other purposes.”

The act would establish a park on the moon protecting the artifacts from the various Apollo missions at the various landing sites. This is, of course, as constitutional as the parks systems within the United States.

The bill would allow the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement with the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to create the proposed park. The secretary will also be able to enter into an agreement with “a Federal agency to provide public access to, and management, interpretation, and historic preservation of, historically significant Apollo lunar landing site resources under the jurisdiction or control of the Federal agency.”

Funding? Not a problem. The bill allows:

The Secretary may accept donations from, and enter into cooperative agreements with, foreign governments and international bodies, organizations, or individuals to further the purpose of an interagency agreement entered into under paragraph (1) or to provide visitor services and administrative facilities within reasonable proximity to the Historical Park.

After all, the bill also allows it to be established with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site.

This should provide a big boost to Sir Richard Branson’s Space Program.

Source: National Journal