Vice President Mike Pence marks Apollo 11 anniversary at Kennedy Space Center

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Vice President Mike Pence, Buzz Aldrin and NASA officials were at Florida’s Space Coast on Saturday to mark the historic 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Pence and Aldrin flew into Brevard County aboard Air Force Two and made their way to the Kennedy Space Center.

In front of a huge American flag, Pence gave his speech and told the crowd he was happy to be at KSC for the historic event.

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"To celebrate with all of you the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing a half century ago that will be remembered forever," Pence said.

He praised the astronauts who carried out that famous mission.

"True to their creed, astronauts have never liked the idea of being called a heroes,” Pence said. “And for all they did and all the risks they took, if Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins aren't heroes, then there are no heroes."

Along with talking about the legacy of NASA, Pence talked about the future of the space agency.

"America will return to the moon within the next five years, and the next man and woman on the moon will be American astronauts," Pence said. "Within the next year, we will once again send American astronauts to space on American rockets from American soil."

He also added officials are working on new technology and training so that we can soon carry out missions to Mars and beyond.