The historic Artemis II mission, which completed an unprecedented lunar flyby in more than 50 years, received recognition this Monday from US President Donald Trump during a live phone call from the White House. The conversation, presented by NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, highlighted the technological feat of the mission and the courage of its crew members, who reached humanity's greatest distance from Earth
in half a century.“Today they have made history and have made the whole country incredibly proud,” Trump said, referring to the flyby around the Moon and the distance record achieved by the mission. The president stressed that this feat “has no comparison with anything we have seen lately” and promised to welcome the crew to the White House upon their return. “I'm going to ask for your autograph... you deserve it. They are truly something special,” he added, highlighting the international attention the mission has garnered.
During the call, Trump encouraged astronauts to share their most memorable experiences and moments. Commander Reid Wiseman recounted the coming out of an eclipse and the observation of the solar corona aligned with Mars, a moment that, according to him, symbolizes the ability of humanity to expand to other planets. “We all commented on how excited we are to see our nation and the planet moving towards a multiplanetary species
,” he said.
Astronaut Christina Koch highlighted the thrill of seeing Earth again after 45 minutes of no communication from the opposite side of the Moon. “It's a reminder of how special our planet is and how important it is for the United States to lead deep space exploration,” he said, highlighting how the mission combines scientific achievements with national and international inspiration
