Adedokun Waliyu 
U.S. President Donald Trump praised the courage of astronauts on the historic Artemis II mission, including Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, during their visit to the White House.
Trump described the crew as “very brave,” highlighting the magnitude of their journey, which captured global attention. Hansen, along with Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, met the president in the Oval Office weeks after completing a 10-day mission that took them around the moon and back.
The four astronauts became the first humans in over 50 years to travel to the moon, reaching a record distance of 252,756 miles from Earth. Their spacecraft journeyed around the far side of the moon before safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.
Trump had previously spoken with the crew during their mission and invited them to the White House, even requesting their autographs. He emphasized that becoming an astronaut requires exceptional courage, intelligence, and physical ability, while joking about his own fitness for such a mission.
Despite praising the mission, the administration has proposed a reduction in funding for NASA, with a planned budget of $18.8 billion, representing a significant cut.
The Artemis program, launched during Trump’s first term, aims to establish a sustained human presence on the moon and eventually send astronauts to Mars. Several more missions are planned, including efforts to land humans on the lunar surface and begin building a lunar base.
Canada was among the first countries to join the program, contributing key technologies such as the Canadarm system used on the International Space Station. Hansen’s participation marked a milestone, as he became the first non-American to travel beyond low Earth orbit and the first person to speak French while en route to the moon.
