President Trump wants Americans going into space to be a part of his legacy, even as he has proposed cutting NASA’s education, research and diversity programs.
President Trump said on Wednesday the United States had a “good shot” at landing astronauts on the moon before the end of his second term as he celebrated the crew of Artemis II, who in a matter of weeks took a journey around the moon, back to Earth and to the Oval Office.
“That was a lot of rocket under them,” Mr. Trump said alongside the four-member crew, each sporting a NASA jacket. “I don’t know how they do it — I wouldn’t want to do it!”
Mr. Trump has, however, made clear that he does want Americans journeying deeper into the cosmos to be a part of his legacy. The meeting with the Artemis II crew comes as his administration has proclaimed big goals for space exploration, including a “lunar base camp” and even an eventual trip to Mars.
After overhauling its launch schedule earlier this year, NASA is now aiming for two moon landings in 2028, before Mr. Trump leaves office.
“We have a shot at it,” Mr. Trump said. “We don’t like to say definitely because then you say, ‘Oh, we failed. We failed.’”
“We’re ahead of schedule,” he added.
Even as he celebrated the unity that comes with space travel, global crises hung over the brief visit to the Oval Office by the astronauts. Mr. Trump fielded questions from reporters about the Iran war, as well as a “long talk” he had with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.