Russia is sending a man to the moon after it has been fairly non-existent in the space program. They have taken a back seat ever since the United States sent a man to the moon in July of 1969. When Neil Armstrong touched down, it effectively ended the US-Soviet space race.

But now we have news coming out that A spacecraft will “conduct a demonstrative manned circumlunar test flight with the subsequent landing of cosmonauts on [the Moon’s] surface and their return to Earth” by 2030, according to a leaked strategy document from Russia’s space agency, Roskosmos.

The push from world leaders has increased in the past few years. National pride is a growing problem and the space race seems to be a way to have their citizens believe in their country again. George W Bush wanted to have astronauts back on the moon by 2020, Barack Obama wants astronauts on Mars by 2030, Both India and China have planned manned moon missions by 2020 and 2025 respectively.

“Russia should not limit itself to the role of an international space ferryman.” Mr Putin said, piloted space missions should be revived by 2018, when the first flights are expected from Vostochny, a $13.5 billion (£8.6 billion) spaceport being built in Russia’s far east.

Maybe they won’t even have to use rocket fuel, Putin can just take off his shirt and hurl the rockets into space.