Trump Calls for Resumption of Astronaut Missions to the Moon and Mars

The White House has officially requested NASA to resume its astronaut missions to the Moon. According to the National Public Radio (NPR), Donald Trump signed a new directive asking the U.S. space agency to prioritize human exploration in its space programs. This directive, named 'Space Policy Directive 1', was signed in the presence of American astronaut Harrison Schmitt, one of the last humans to walk on the Moon 45 years ago during the Apollo 17 mission. The new space directive comes after NASA retired its last spacecraft in 2011. Eugene Cernan, the last human to walk on the Moon, passed away last year at the age of 82. From Neil Armstrong to Eugene Cernan, a total of 12 astronauts walked on the Moon during six U.S. missions in the heat of the space race with the former Soviet Union. Currently, the priority for space travel is to step onto and explore the surface of Mars. Trump stated at the signing of the new directive that this time, the U.S. will not settle for just planting a flag and leaving a human footprint on Mars, but will lay the groundwork for future missions to this planet and possibly others. However, how to step onto the surface of Mars is still unclear. Many believe the first step should be the Moon, a program that was also proposed during George W. Bush's presidency but was suspended due to insufficient funding from Congress. Some NASA scientists believe that renewed emphasis on human travel to the Moon will detract focus from the next goal of reaching Mars. One of NASA's recent missions is called 'Journey to Deep Space', which includes building a station in lunar orbit. They are currently constructing a very large rocket and capsule for deep space travel, with the first test planned for 2019. Although Trump's administration requested NASA to consider sending an astronaut for this test flight, NASA ultimately opposed this request. The first human flight with this capsule is scheduled for 2022.