{"id":13158,"date":"2019-06-07T22:41:38","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T14:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/trump-criticizes-nasa-over-his-own-administrations-moon-program\/"},"modified":"2019-06-07T22:41:38","modified_gmt":"2019-06-07T14:41:38","slug":"trump-criticizes-nasa-over-his-own-administrations-moon-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/trump-criticizes-nasa-over-his-own-administrations-moon-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump criticizes NASA over his own administration\u2019s moon program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>STORY WRITTEN FOR&nbsp;CBS NEWS&nbsp;&amp; USED WITH PERMISSION<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_38794\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38794\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-38794\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/27216331959_d772d16977_k.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"711\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/27216331959_d772d16977_k.jpg 900w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/27216331959_d772d16977_k-300x237.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/27216331959_d772d16977_k-768x607.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/27216331959_d772d16977_k-678x536.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-38794\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">President Donald Trump after signing Space Policy Directive 1 on Dec. 11, 2017, directing NASA to return to the moon. Credit: NASA\/Aubrey Gemignani<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In a head-spinning tweet, President Trump blasted NASA on Friday for its plan to return to the moon, a plan set in motion during a 2017 White House ceremony he presided over, and forcefully endorsed in March on the president\u2019s behalf by Vice President Mike Pence, chairman of the revitalized National Space Council.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon \u2013 We did that 50 years ago,\u201d the president said Friday. \u201cThey should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1137051097955102720&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2019%2F06%2F07%2Ftrump-criticizes-nasa-over-his-own-administrations-moon-program%2F&amp;sessionId=6db5f94fff7e1403d0ab7f3b99a2983c69b8171f&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782698605289199157=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">For all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon \u2013 We did that 50 years ago. They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science!<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>NASA has long viewed human missions to Mars as the agency\u2019s long-range goal, but senior management, backed by earlier guidance from the administration, strongly favors sending astronauts back to the moon first to gain experience and test the technologies needed to eventually reach the red planet.<\/p>\n<p>NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, in a presumed effort to smooth over signs of discord, tweeted late Friday the agency already has an active Mars research program. NASA currently operates three orbiters and two Mars landers \u2013 InSight and the Curiosity rover \u2013 with another expensive rover set for launch in 2020 that will search for signs of past life. It also will carry a small, experimental helicopter to test the viability of martian aircraft.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs @POTUS said, @NASA is using the Moon to send humans to Mars!\u201d Bridenstine tweeted. \u201cRight now, @MarsCuriosity and @NASAInSight are on Mars and will soon be joined by the Mars 2020 rover and the Mars helicopter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1137110361025515527&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2019%2F06%2F07%2Ftrump-criticizes-nasa-over-his-own-administrations-moon-program%2F&amp;sessionId=6db5f94fff7e1403d0ab7f3b99a2983c69b8171f&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782698605289199157=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">As @POTUS said, @NASA is using the Moon to send humans to Mars! Right now, @MarsCuriosity and @NASAInSight are on Mars and will soon be joined by the Mars 2020 rover and the Mars helicopter. pic.twitter.com\/Br1sTYfNzd<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) June 7, 2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In any case, the president\u2019s comments were at odds with the administration\u2019s previously stated space policy.<\/p>\n<p>During a March 27 meeting with NASA managers and aerospace officials at the agency\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Pence said the Trump administration was ordering NASA to send astronauts back to the moon by 2024, four years earlier than had been planned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the direction of the president of the United States, it is the stated policy of this administration and the United States of America to return American astronauts to the moon within the next five years,\u201d Pence said. \u201cThe first woman and the next man on the moon will both be American astronauts, launched by American rockets from American soil.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The administration already had established a return to the moon as the focus of NASA\u2019s deep space exploration program in Space Policy Directive No. 1, signed by the president during a White House ceremony on Dec. 11, 2017.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe directive I am signing today will refocus America\u2019s space program on human exploration and discovery,\u201d President Trump said at the time. \u201cIt 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 \u2014 we will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars, and perhaps someday, to many worlds beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NASA subsequently began refining long-range plans to assemble a mini space station called Gateway in orbit around the moon in the mid 2020s and to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028.<\/p>\n<p>During his March speech at Marshall, Pence said that \u201cafter years of cost overruns and slipped deadlines, we\u2019re actually being told that the earliest we can get back to the moon is 2028. \u2026 Ladies and gentlemen, that\u2019s just not good enough. We\u2019re better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With 2024 the new target for \u201cboots on the moon,\u201d the Trump administration added $1.6 billion to NASA\u2019s 2020 budget request on May 13. At that time, the president tweeted \u201cwe are restoring @NASA to greatness and we are going back to the Moon, then Mars. I am updating my budget to include an additional $1.6 billion so that we can return to Space in a BIG WAY!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When the budget request was added, Bridenstine said the additional money represented \u201ca down payment on NASA\u2019s efforts to land humans on the moon by 2024. In the coming years, we will need additional funds. But this is a good amount that gets us out of the gate in a very strong fashion and sets us up for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>STORY WRITTEN FOR&nbsp;CBS NEWS&nbsp;&amp; USED WITH PERMISSION President Donald Trump after signing Space Policy Directive 1 on Dec. 11, 2017, directing NASA to return to the moon. Credit: NASA\/Aubrey Gemignani In a head-spinning tweet, President Trump blasted NASA on Friday for its plan to return to the moon, a plan set in motion during a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1545,625,190,1883,931,328,2628],"class_list":["post-13158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-human-spaceflight","tag-moon","tag-nasa","tag-nasa-budget","tag-president-donald-trump","tag-space-policy","tag-vice-president-mike-pence"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13158"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13158\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}