Apollo 13 nearly killed three Americans 56 years ago – and that disaster accidentally set the farthest-from-Earth record in human history.
Monday, four astronauts shattered it on purpose.
Now Trump is calling them to say what no president has said in over half a century – that America is going back to the moon, and then to Mars.
What Biden Did to NASA While China Caught Up in the Space Race
Biden's team spent four years gutting the agency that made Monday possible.
His administration proposed slashing NASA's science budget nearly in half, delayed Artemis launches twice, and watched China quietly land on the far side of the moon – the same far side these four Americans just became the first humans to see with their naked eyes.
Biden never once called astronauts from space.
Trump made the call before the crew even started heading home.
Trump Calls Artemis II Astronauts After Historic Moon Flyby
The Artemis II crew – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen – flew 252,756 miles from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13's 1970 record by more than 4,100 miles.
They looped around the far side of the moon.
For 40 minutes, they lost all contact with Earth – one of the longest communication blackouts in human spaceflight history – as the moon blocked every signal between the Orion spacecraft and Mission Control.
They were completely alone, farther from home than any human being had ever been.
When contact was restored, commander Reid Wiseman described what the crew saw: terrain no human had observed before with the naked eye – craters, ancient lava flows, surface cracks and ridges on the lunar far side.
Then they watched a solar eclipse from 250,000 miles away, and spotted Mars in the distance.
Wiseman told Trump what that moment felt like: "All of us commented how excited we are to watch this nation and this planet become a two-planet species."
President Trump called the crew live, with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
"Today you've made history and made all of America really proud," he told the crew. "There's nothing like what you're doing – circling around the moon for the first time in more than a half a century and breaking the all-time record for the farthest distance from planet Earth."
He called them "modern-day pioneers" and said America would be "second to none in space and everything else."
Then he told them what comes next.
"Your mission paves the way for America's return to the lunar surface very soon," Trump said. "This time, we won't just leave footprints – we'll establish a permanent presence on the moon."
After that: Mars.
Why the Moon Landing in 2028 Has China Furious
Trump is targeting an American moon landing by 2028 – the final year of his second term – and a permanent lunar outpost by 2030.
China says they'll have boots on the moon by 2030 as well.
One of those two countries is going to get there first.
Here's what the media won't tell you: this isn't a science project.
The moon's south pole – where both the United States and China want to establish a base – contains water ice.
Water ice means fuel.
Whoever controls the south pole controls resupply operations for every mission deeper into space.
Sen. Ted Cruz told Congress exactly what's at stake: "Space is no longer reserved simply for peaceful exploration. It is today a strategic frontier with direct consequences for national security, economic growth, and technological leadership."
Biden's people called that alarmist.
The Republican-led Congress locked in the funding that made Artemis II possible, and Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill added another $10 billion for NASA's Moon and Mars programs through 2032.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman isn't pretending the stakes are anything less than existential.
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He told Congress the goal this time isn't flags and footprints.
"This time, the goal is to stay."
The Artemis II crew splashes down off San Diego on Friday.
Then Trump wants them in the Oval Office – and he told them he's asking for their autographs.
"I don't really ask for autographs much," Trump told the crew, "but you deserve that."
America is back in the race.
And for the first time in 54 years, it isn't a close call.
Sources:
- NASA, "Artemis II Flight Day 6: Crew Wraps Historic Lunar Flyby," NASA.gov, April 6, 2026.
- House Committee on Appropriations – Republicans, "Launch Cleared: Congress Fuels America's Next Moon Mission," Appropriations.house.gov, April 1, 2026.
- Tariq Malik, "This is really big stuff: Trump hails NASA Artemis 2 astronauts after historic moon flyby," Space.com, April 7, 2026.
- The Blaze, "WATCH: Trump tells moon-looping Artemis astronauts what's next in out-of-this-world phone call," TheBlaze.com, April 7, 2026.
- The Post Millennial, "You've inspired the entire world: Trump praises Artemis II crew in call after historic lunar flyby," ThePostMillennial.com, April 7, 2026.
