Trump speaks with NASA’s Artemis II astronauts after historic moon flyby

Trump speaks with NASA’s Artemis II astronauts after historic moon flyby

By Jackie Flynn Mogensen & Lee Billings edited by Claire Cameron

On Monday, shortly after the Artemis II crew completed hours of observations of the far side of the moon, President Donald Trump called to congratulate the astronauts on their achievement.

“Hello to Artemis II. Today, you’ve made history and made all of America really proud, incredibly proud,” Trump, accompanied by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, said in a call to the crew aboard the Orion spacecraft. “Humans have really never seen anything quite like what you’re doing in a manned spacecraft. It’s really special.”

The Artemis II crew, composed of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, set a new record for the farthest distance traveled by humans from Earth, surpassing the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. At their farthest point, they were 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth, according to NASA. The crew also witnessed a solar eclipse as the moon passed in front of the sun.

On supporting science journalism

If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription, you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

While President Trump was extending congratulations to the Artemis II astronauts, the White House’s federal budget proposal for FY 2027 was making its way through Capitol Hill. The proposal suggests reducing NASA’s overall funding by nearly a quarter and cutting NASA’s science budget by almost half. If enacted, the White House’s spending plan for NASA would represent, in inflation-adjusted dollars, the smallest budget the space agency has seen since 1961. (A similar proposal for FY 2026 was previously rejected by Congress in a rare show of bipartisan resistance.)

Supporters of space exploration have criticized the proposed budget cuts. Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at the non-profit Planetary Society, described the proposal to Nature news as “an extinction-level event for science” at NASA. “It would undermine and prevent NASA from being the world leader in space exploration,” he said.

In a previous statement, Isaacman expressed his “strong support” for the president’s fiscal policies, stating, “The requested funding levels are sufficient for NASA to meet the Nation’s high expectations and deliver on all mission priorities.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

During the call with the astronauts, Trump highlighted his support for space exploration, referencing his decision to establish the U.S. Space Force during his first term. “You know, I had a decision to make in my first term, and the decision is, ‘what are we going to do at NASA?’” Trump said to the crew.

The conversation experienced a brief pause when neither the astronauts nor Trump spoke. After about a minute, the crew requested a communication check, prompting Trump to affirm he was still connected.

“I want to look forward to seeing you in the Oval Office,” Trump said during the call. “I’ll ask for your autograph, because I don’t really ask for autographs much, but you deserve that.”

Editor’s note (4/6/26): This is a developing news story and will be updated.

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.