A few minutes ago Trump tweeted about NASA, saying they shouldn’t be planning a trip to the moon because they did that 50 years ago:
For all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon – We did that 50 years ago. They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2019
This is weird. Because a month ago Trump said NASA was going back to the moon, and then Mars:
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
He literally said “we are going back to the moon”, yet now he chastises NASA for planning another moon trip?
The heads at NASA must be spinning.
UPDATE: Some in the comments are suggesting that Trump’s focus is more about messaging than anything else. Maybe that’s true and I jumped the gun. But to be honest it’s not all that clear to me.
Just because we went to the moon 50 years ago doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal to do it again. I get Trump really wants us to go to Mars, but going to the moon is something that takes a lot of effort and focus to get it right. And while I’m not a scientist, I’m pretty sure going to Mars is very different than going to the moon. To put the two together as if they are the same thing seems weird to me.
So it’s not a complete contradiction as I suggested before.