President Trump hosted the four Artemis 2 astronauts and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman for a press event on April 29. The gathering celebrated the crew’s successful mission, which launched on April 1 and splashed down on April 10.
This crew remains the first group of people to leave Earth orbit since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
During their journey around the moon, the astronauts traveled further from Earth than any human in history, surpassing the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. Trump personally congratulated the NASA chief, noting that choosing him for the top job was a “great choice.”
“You heard that question with those beautiful ears of yours,” Trump told Isaacman. “He’s got great hearing, you know – he’s got super hearing.”
“A trick of the trade, sir,” replied Isaacman, who has sportingly acknowledged his larger-than-average ears in the past. Then he answered the question.
“There are a lot of people who are very interested in our mission,” Isaacman said. “So being here in DC gives us the opportunity to communicate with all of our stakeholders and ensure that we are making the right decisions for the nation.”
Trump nominated Isaacman in January 2025, after an initial announcement in November. At that event, Trump faced intriguing questions about whether NASA could put men on the moon before the end of his term.
He was also raised by the US Space Force – which he founded during his first administration – declaring that it would become one of the most important military branches.
Additionally, he claimed that the Biden administration had abolished the Space Force, despite the White House reaffirming its commitment to the branch shortly after taking office in 2021.
We got involved with NASA and brought it back,” he said, then turned to Isaacman. “When I first looked at some of your facilities, there was grass growing on the runways, right between the cracks in the asphalt. But not anymore. It’s really strong.”
In addition, reporters asked about the White House’s 2027 federal budget, which proposes a 23% cut to NASA’s overall funding while reallocating resources to increase science funding by 47%.
The mission was remarkable; During the flight, the astronauts spent more than six hours documenting the far side of the moon, an area previously seen only by robotic missions.
