When the astronauts woke up on their last day on the moon, they were welcomed by the sound of trumpets, horns and the loud thumping of the drums. It was the theme song indicating for Space Odyssey go back home in 2001.
"The song was great. It was truly appropriate for the situation," said Gene Cernan to Mission Control back on Earth. It was in 1972 when man was last seen on the moon and no expedition followed after that. This won't be for long, according to the representatives of the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump wants NASA astronauts to be back on the moon by 2024. To make this happen, the President announced that the administration will be asking the Congress for additional budget for the NASA. They intend to request for another $1.6 billion to be part of the NASA budget in the coming fiscal year.
"Under my Administration, we are restoring @NASA..." Trump said in his Tweet on Monday.
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! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2019
The administration wants the world to treat this event as a historic event. The mission to the moon has been named "the Artemis", the sister of the Apollo. The name have a significant importance as Nasa prepares for the first woman to ever land on the moon.
According to Trump, the mission to the moon is simply inevitable and its success is guaranteed. However, scientists are still concern whether moon exploration can happened in just 5 years. The critics have also expressed their dismay on this plan asking - "We have already gone to the moon, why go back there?"
Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States made a statement that it is not just about the exploration of the moon. Rather, it is a symbol of national pride and duty. The plan to send NASA astronauts to the moon for the second time may be a huge step for this administration and open up new opportunities for more explorations in the future.
