By Richard Tew/Space and technology editor for The Post Newspaper
Last Friday morning, President Donald Trump traveled to the Johnson Space Center to personally hand Congressional Space Medals of Honor to NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, for their role in the historic Artemis II mission.
The mission, which launched earlier this year on April 1, took the four astronauts around the Moon and back over ten days, setting distance records in the process. It was also the first-time humans have been to the Moon in fifty years.
The Orion Space Craft took the intrepid space explorers just over 4,000 miles past the far side of the moon, a feat never-before accomplished.
The ten-day mission allowed NASA to gather critical data for future Artemis mission, including the upcoming Artemis III mission sent for 2027.
Trump also announced a new “Space Academy,” which came as a welcome surprise to those gathered in attendance. He signed an executive order at a desk set up side-stage for the event.
“That’s a big deal,” said Trump. “So you think of West Point and you think of Annapolis and you think of the Air Force Academy and you think of the Coast Guard Academy. They are great, they are all great, but now we are going to have a space force, and academy for what people in this room love most.”
Trump said he will be choosing a location for the new academy “very shortly.” He went on to say “Space is the hot thing.” He noted the new Space Academy will be set up to serve the United States Space Force, NASA and the civilian space flight industry.
“It will attract and train and graduate the very best our nation really has to offer,” said Trump. “I said I’ll do it, but it has to be top line; it’s got to be the equivalent to the others (military academies) which are great.”
After signing the executive order, Trump presented all for Artemis II astronauts with special Congressional Space Medals of Honor, something reserved for astronauts who according to the NASA website, “have exhibited special bravery and meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the nation and humanity.” The award was authorized by Congress in 1969 and to date, has only been given to 34 recipients.
Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman was the first to give comments after the presentation and thanked his crew for the honor they were receiving.
“Victor, Cristina and Jeremy, what an honor to do this with you three,” said Wiseman. “Mr. President, it means a lot that you are here at the Johnson Space Center, it underscores the important work that is going on at mission control to further human exploration.”
Wiseman shared a story about the crew’s final thoughts before liftoff to start the history mission back in April.
“The crew said three things. Victor Glover said ‘we are going for our families,’ Christina Koch said ‘We are going for our teammates’ and then Jeremy (Hansen) said ‘We are going for all humanity.’
Wiseman said all four would wear the medals they received with pride but that it was not pride in themselves, but rather it was for the “grit our families had when we left this planet, it’s pride for that NASA team that sent us on this mission and it is pride for the international community that stood along side us, get us ready, and operated it and cheered us on.”
Crew pilot Victor Glover presented a President Trump with a special flight jacket with mission patches before the ceremony ended.
Later, President Trump visited Mission Control where he spoke to the crew of Exhibition 75, currently aboard the International Space Station; wishing them well before handing the phone to mission commander Jessica Meir’s husband Duke Brady telling his wife “Hi babe, have a good time up there, we will see you soon.”
Photo cutline: President Donald Trump visited the Johnson Space Center to personally hand Congressional Space Medals of Honor to NASA astronauts: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, for their role in the historic Artemis II mission. NASA photo.
