COLORADO SPRINGS – It’s been more than 40 years since man last walked on the moon.
On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence called for U.S. astronauts to land on it again within the next five years.
News 5 spoke with Tom Zelibor, CEO of the Space Foundation, who said he believes this is possible. Not only that, he feels it’s going to be a major boost for the local economy.
“We’re coming up on a 50-year anniversary this summer and I think it’s extremely important,” said Zelibor. “I have a really good feeling about it. It’s going to take teamwork and innovation to make it happen quickly.”
Zelibor said with an aggressive action like this it’ll bring out the best innovations and help local space industries bring in a good chunk of change.
“I can’t put specific figures to it, but I would think that an effort like this is going to infuse a lot of capital into all companies…from the Colorado Springs perspective, all the businesses here I think would benefit from it.”
Job seekers looking for employment in software, rocket technologies, and beyond will benefit as well. It’s a move that could also fuel future careers.
“If we can inspire the next generation workforce, in particular the STEM related fields, I think an effort like this is well worth the effort.”
Zelibor said the timing of this announcement couldn’t be more perfect for Colorado Springs. In two weeks all the people that are going to have to figure out how to get us to the moon again will be in town for the Space Symposium.
