President Barack Obama restricted NASA expenses on Monday as he sent his 2012 budget blueprint to Congress calling for a five-year freeze on new spending at the US space agency.

The U.S. space agency is inviting the public to a discussion marking the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11, which took humans to the moon. The roundtable discussion -- Apollo: History and Legacy -- will be held Thursday, July 16, at 1 p.m.

On Thursday, July 16, at 1 p.m. EDT, NASA will host a roundtable discussion titled "Apollo: History and Legacy," to mark the 40th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11.

NASA plans to return to the Moon almost half a century after man last walked on the lunar surface, using a retro combination of space shuttle and Apollo rocket technology.

NASA hopes to return astronauts to the moon by 2018, nearly a half-century after men last walked the lunar surface, by using a distinctly retro combination of space shuttle and Apollo rocket parts. The space agency presented its lunar exploration plan to the White House on Wednesday.