Story perspectives

Trump Meets Artemis II Crew, Jokes About Flying

4/30/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump met the Artemis II crew on April 29, 2026, joked about becoming an astronaut and asked NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman if a president could fly.
Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen flew a lunar mission covering 252,756 miles, the farthest distance ever by humans.
Trump said NASA could land on the Moon, citing Artemis III in 2027 and Artemis IV in 2028, despite a 23 percent budget cut.

History

Historical Context

President Kennedy’s 1961 pledge to land a man on the Moon spurred the Apollo program, culminating in Apollo 11’s July 20 1969 Moon landing by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins—viewed by an estimated 600 million people. That Cold-War triumph set the benchmark for today’s Artemis II crew, now led by Reid Wiseman and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

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Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump met the Artemis II crew on April 29, 2026, joked about becoming an astronaut and asked NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman if a president could fly.
Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen flew a lunar mission covering 252,756 miles, the farthest distance ever by humans.
Trump said NASA could land on the Moon, citing Artemis III in 2027 and Artemis IV in 2028, despite a 23 percent budget cut.

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