MOONWALK: Today is the 45th anniversary of the last day man has walked on the moon.

But it may not be long until we return.

According to the Associated Press, on Dec. 14, 1972, “Apollo 17 astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan concluded their third and final moonwalk and blasted off for their rendezvous with the command module.”

On Monday, President Donald Trump signed White House Space Policy Directive I. The policy change asks that the United States, partnering with private sector and international groups, go back to the moon as preparation for missions to Mars, according to NASA.

The purpose of the exploration program is “to enable human expansion across the solar system and to bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities.”

U.S. officials first indicated the intention to extend human exploration in space in October, after the first meeting of the reconstituted National Space Council.

On Monday, Trump said, “The directive I am signing today will refocus America’s space program on human exploration and discovery. It marks a first step in returning American astronauts to the Moon for the first time since 1972, for long-term exploration and use. This time, we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprints — we will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars, and perhaps someday, to many worlds beyond.”

While you’re contemplating outer space, you might be able to catch the tail-end of the Geminid meteor shower tonight.

The peak was reported to be between 1 and 2 a.m. this morning, but the American Meteor shower indicated meteors will be visible tonight, too — there will just be fewer to see.

To spot meteors, the organization recommends not looking straight up, but rather looking “roughly half-way up in the sky, high enough to avoid hills or trees that may block your view.”