Donald Trump says NASA plans to return to the Moon by 2024
Donald Trump has told the surviving Apollo 11 astronauts his government is “bringing the glamour back” to the space program with plans to return to the Moon by 2024.
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US President Donald Trump has marked the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing by briefing the surviving Apollo 11 astronauts on his administration’s plans to return to the Moon by 2024.
Mr Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence met with the second man on the Moon, Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins and the two sons of Neil Armstrong in the Oval Office.
The US President said he told them “we are bringing the glamour back” to the space program.
It comes after Aldrin tore into the US space program, labelling it “very discouraging” and “not very good”.
“Many of us who followed Neil may still feel we are waiting for that giant leap after landing on the Moon,” he said at the US Space & Rocket Centre in Huntsville, Alabama.
Mr Trump, flanked by Aldrin and Collins, later touted the development of his Space Force in front of reporters.
“Space to me is important for defence and offence, I guess you could say,” Mr Trump said. “It’s not just about going to the Moon and going to Mars, because we don’t know what we’re going to find on Mars but it’s certainly a trip that’s going to be very interesting.”
Mr Trump said the White House was supportive of technology companies investing in space travel.
“NASA’s back,” Mr Trump declared.
“We’re having rich guys use it and pay us rent. I like that.”
Collins said partnerships with private companies would help advance US space exploration much quicker.
“I think that’s wonderful. The more the merrier,” he said.
“The money that (Elon) Musk and (Jeff) Bezos take out of their own pocket they put into the federal kitty, it’s all one lump as far as I’m concerned.”
NASA plans to put the first woman on the Moon under a plan named Artemis, named after the Greek goddess of the Moon and twin sister of Apollo.
Mr Trump has called on Congress to approve an extra $US1.6 billion ($A2.27 billion) in the budget in addition to the $US21 billion ($A29.8 billion) already requested.
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While that sounds like a lot of money, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, said that the Apollo 11 program cost about $US110 billion ($A156 billion) when adjusted for inflation.
Vice President Mike Pence, who is head of the White House’s Space Council, will visit the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida today for the 50th anniversary.
He has demanded that NASA bring forward the target date for the second moon landing from 2028 to 2024.
Sunita “Suni” Williams is one of 12 female astronauts in the running to be the first woman on the Moon.
Williams, who has been an astronaut since 1998, achieved a record for the cumulative space walk time by a woman, clocking up around 50 hours.
That record was later beaten by engineer Christina Kock, who has spent a total of 11 months in space and is another frontrunner to be the first woman on the Moon, along with former Army helicopter pilot Anne McClain, marine biologist Jessica Meir and fighter pilot Nicole Mann
Williams said NASA was making great strides to get to the Moon by 2024 and also to Mars.
“I have had the luxury of being on the International Space Station two times and I can tell you we are doing all kinds of experiments on propulsion systems, life support systems, even space suit systems that will help us on our next endeavours back to the Moon and even further out of low Earth orbit and off to Mars,” she said.
It wasn’t until 1983 that Sally Ride became the first American woman sent to space.
Originally published as Donald Trump says NASA plans to return to the Moon by 2024
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