He interviewed all of the Apollo astronauts and was friends with Wernher von Braun, the architect of Nasa's moon programme.

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Ms Moon said the decision to air the programme had nothing to do with ratings.

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It plans an unmanned mission to the Moon, according to Ouyang Ziyuan, chief scientist in the country's lunar programme, who spoke to BBC News Online last year.

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Space station programme manager Bill Gerstenmaier said extending astronauts' time aboard the station could help lay the groundwork for eventual Moon missions or Mars trips.

BBC: NEWS | Science/Nature | Astronauts may get time extension