Last month, President Obama cancelled NASA’s Constellation Moon landings programme, which was approved by ex-President George W Bush, and at a private event at the Royal Society in London, former astronauts spoke to the BBC, voicing their concern at the move.

The decision could have “catastrophic consequences” for US space exploration said Jim Lovell, who commanded the infamous Apollo 13 mission.

The last man on the moon, Eugene Cernan called it “dissapointing”. He was the last man to return to the lunar module in 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission.

"I thought we'd have gone back long before now,” he said.

NASA has faced major budget cut backs along with many government entities in the wake of the near-crippling 2008 financial crisis.

The significance of NASA has also been undermined by the end to Cold War hostilities. Rivalry between the US and then-USSR played a large part in the national pride that was associated with space exploration.

NASA still hopes to send men back to the moon, but it will instead provide incentives and oversight to the private sector.

Private sector corporations such as Virgin have established a firm footing in space travel, and the United States is no longer the only country with a viable space programme, deminishing the importance of NASA.

China, the EU, India, and Japan are some of the countries that operate a space programme like NASA, although NASA remains the only agency to have put men on the moon.