Trump calls ISS to congratulate Whitson on NASA record

In a congratulatory call to a record-setting astronaut Monday, President Donald Trump expressed enthusiasm for NASA’s plans to send humans to Mars but some impatience with the 2030s timeline for getting there.

“We want to try it during my first term, or at worst during my second term, so we’ll have to speed that up a little bit, OK?” the president kidded astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

“We’ll do our best,” replied NASA’s Peggy Whitson, commander of the station’s five-person Expedition 51 crew.

From the Oval Office, Trump phoned the research complex orbiting 250 miles overhead to congratulate Whitson on setting an American record for most cumulative days in space, with 535 days — nearly a year-and-a-half of her life — spread over three missions.

“This is a very special day in the glorious history of American spaceflight,” he said. That’s an incredible record to break. And on behalf of our nation and frankly on behalf of the world, I’d like to congratulate you. That is really something.”

“It’s an honor for me basically to be representing all the folks at NASA who make this spaceflight possible, and who make me setting this record feasible,” said Whitson, 57.

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The president was joined on the ground by daughter Ivanka Trump and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins. Whitson was joined in orbit by NASA’s Jack Fischer, who launched to the ISS last Thursday.

The White House, NASA and Department of Education encouraged classrooms across the country to tune into the 18-minute call highlighting opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math careers.

Trump joked that he wouldn’t want to fly as fast as the station orbits the planet — more than 17,000 mph — and asked the astronauts what is being learned from living in space.

Whitson cited experiments studying microgravity’s effects on people and tests of technologies needed for multi-year Mars missions. Among those: converting urine into drinkable water.

“It’s really not as bad as it sounds,” she said.

“Well that’s good, I’m glad to hear that,” said Trump. “Better you than me.”

Talking with astronauts, he said, was a welcome change from politics in the job he’d held for nearly 100 days.

“I’ve been dealing with politicians so much, I’m so much more impressed with these people, you have no idea,” he said.

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“Who’s ready to go to Mars up there?” he asked later.

NASA’s “Journey to Mars” program hopes to send a crew near the Red Planet in the 2030s, followed by landings in the 2040s, at an estimated cost of roughly $500 billion through that period according to a recent NASA audit.

A first launch of astronauts on the new Space Launch System rocket is targeted for 2021, but could slip to 2023, late in Trump’s potential second term. NASA is studying if the test flight launched from Kennedy Space Center into orbit around the moon can fly earlier.

Trump’s proposed 2018 budget would cut the space agency’s budget slightly, to $19.1 billion, including eliminating its education department.

NASA spending is a fraction of what it was during the Apollo moon landing era, when it peaked at more than 4 percent of the federal budget, compared to about half of 1 percent now.

Still, Trump said he believed a Mars mission could be pulled off sooner rather than later.

“I think we’ll do it a lot sooner than we’re even thinking,” he said.

The president noted growing interest in space by billionaire entrepreneurs. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, part of a panel of business leaders advising Trump, has his own plans to colonize Mars that some see as competing with NASA’s program.

During the conversation focused on civil space exploration, the commander in chief also referenced “tremendous military application in space,” saying he would lead “the strongest military that the world has ever seen.”

Whitson broke the NASA record for cumulative days in space set last year by Jeff Williams.

Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka holds the all-time record for total days in space, with 879 days over five missions.

Whitson has five more months to narrow the gap before her anticipated return in September. She recently became the first woman to command the station for a second time, and her six spacewalks are the most by a woman.

“I hope that every young American watching today finds in your example a reason to love space and think about space,” said Trump. “We are very, very proud of you and very proud of your bravery.”

Contact Dean at 321-242-3668 orjdean@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter at@flatoday_jdean.