President Trump chatted with the crew of Artemis II Monday night following their historic moon flyby, hailing the astronauts as “modern-day pioneers” and inviting them to the White House.
“You’ve made history and made all America really proud, incredibly proud,” Trump told the four astronauts just hours after they emerged from the far side of the moon.
The president lauded the Artemis II crew — Cmdr. Reid Wiseman, specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen and pilot Victor Glover — for “breaking the all-time record” for human travel beyond Earth.
“Humans have really never seen anything quite like what you’re doing in a manned spacecraft,” Trump marveled. “It’s really special.”
The commander in chief was introduced to the crew by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who noted the president “wanted to be the first person to greet you after your return from the far side of the moon.”
“I just wanted to honor to speak to you, and I wanted to congratulate each and every one of you,” the president said, likening the Artemis II astronauts to “modern-day pioneers.”
Trump also peppered the crew with questions about their trip.
“Tell me what is the most unforgettable part of this really historic day? The whole world is watching and listening. Please tell me,” he urged.
Cmdr. Reid Wiseman told Trump it was “seeing all the sights that we’ve seen from Earth for all of our lives, but seeing them from a different perspective,” as well as catching a glimpse of sites on the dark side of the moon that “no human has ever seen before.”
Mission Specialist Christina Koch explained that for her, the most exciting part was seeing Earth “after being out of communication for about 45 minutes.”
“It really just reminds you what a special place we have,” she added.
Trump asked the crew what it felt like having “zero communication” with NASA while on the far side of the moon.
“I said a little prayer,” pilot Victor Glover responded, “but I had to keep rolling.
“I was actually recording scientific observations of the far side of the moon … We were busy up here working really hard,” Glover explained.
The president then inquired if the astronauts noted any differences between the far and near sides of the moon.
“We certainly did,” said Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, who explained that the gravitational pull of the Earth creates dramatic differences between the lunar landscapes.
Trump informed Hansen, who is Canadian, that he spoke with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and relayed that both are proud of his inclusion in the mission.
“I’m not sure if they’d want to do that,” the president quipped.
Before the call wrapped, Trump invited the entire crew of Artemis II to White House, and they eagerly accepted.
“I look forward to seeing you in the Oval Office,” Trump said. “I’ll ask Jared [Isaacman] to bring you over.
“I’ll ask for your autograph because — I don’t really ask for autographs much, but you deserve that — you really are something,” the president added.
The astronauts’ journey back to Earth will take four days, with the capsule expected to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego around 8:07 p.m. ET Friday.
