Trump Tweets Against NASA Moon Plans Despite His Administration’s Policy
Trump has beef with NASA and the moon. And apparently memory loss.
Recently, he smack-talked NASA’s plan to return American astronauts to the moon by 2024.
Last Friday, he tweeted: “For all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon – 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 part), Defense and Science!”
To be crystal clear, NASA’s 2024 moon plan comes directly from the Trump administration Space Policy Directive 1 that he himself signed in late 2017.
Many are confused by Trump’s words. Does he have memory loss? Did he forget that he signed this into being under two years ago?
Also, does he believe the moon is part of Mars? On this point, speculators are hoping he meant that NASA’s moon goals are hopefully a launching point for farther human space exploration. But, of course, that’s “wishful” thinking.
Really, no one in the administration seems to remember what happened in 2017. For example, Vice President Mike Pence made a speech this March about the moon goal in 2024, and yet still the tweet last week points otherwise.
As Pence said in March of this year: “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.”
Of course, Trump too talked about the moon in May, tweeting his support.
He said: “Under my Administration, we 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!”
Not only did that funding not come through, but he also apparently forgot about it completely.
