Russia Plans Moonwalk by 2030

(Newser) – Russia will finally send a human to the moon. At least it's planning to—by 2030, according to a leaked document from Roskosmos, the Russian Space agency. The Russians have intermittently laid forth enthusiastic goals for space exploration in recent years, reports the Telegraph, but never with a set deadline for a moonwalk.

A moon journey could resuscitate the shaky Russian space program, which has seen its share of mishaps recently, including a series of satellites crashing last year and a botched Mars probe mission in January. The Soviets were the first nation to send a man to space more than 60 years ago, but they effectively shelved their moon ambitions after the US beat them there in 1969.