Inside Trump’s day at NASA: A call to space, Moon-bound signature and Artemis II reunion

Trump traveled to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to reunite with the Artemis II crew, months after their historic journey around the Moon. He presented the astronauts with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, celebrating a mission that carried humans farther from Earth than ever before.

Trump's visit brought him face-to-face again with the four members of Artemis II: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. The crew returned to Earth in April after a 10-day mission that took them around the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft Integrity. The Houston reunion came four months after Trump welcomed the astronauts to the Oval Office following their return.

The four astronauts weren't simply at Johnson Space Center for another presidential meet-and-greet. Trump presented each of them with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for their service during Artemis II. The award, authorized by Congress in 1969, recognizes astronauts for exceptionally meritorious contributions to the nation and humanity.

Trump got into the spirit of his NASA visit when the Artemis II crew presented him with a personalized blue flight jacket of his own. The president appeared delighted with the gift, holding it up for photographers before showing off the astronaut-style jacket alongside the crew.

After the awards ceremony, Trump swapped the stage for one of the most recognizable rooms in space exploration. The president visited Mission Control at Johnson Space Center, where NASA teams oversee human spaceflight. Photos from the visit show Trump seated amid the consoles and giant screens of the control center. And Trump wasn't there simply for a tour. Someone was waiting to speak to him roughly 250 miles above Earth.

From Mission Control, Trump spoke directly with members of Expedition 75 aboard the International Space Station.

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Anil Menon and Jack Hathaway joined the conversation from orbit as Trump sat inside the Houston control center.

The president signed an executive order establishing a commission charged with developing plans for what his administration calls the United States Space Academy. The proposed NASA-led federal academy would train future astronauts, scientists, engineers, operators and other professionals for careers across America's civil, commercial and national-security space programs. "Given the rapid growth of the US Space Force and commercial space industry, and the expansion of our ambitions to the Moon and far beyond the Moon, it's clear we will need to educate and train an entire generation," Trump said.

Trump signed a commemorative plaque connected to America's future return to the lunar surface, creating an instantly distinctive photo opportunity during his day at Johnson Space Center. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman displayed the plaque after the president added his signature.

On April 29, weeks after Artemis II splashed down in the Pacific, Trump welcomed Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen to the Oval Office. During the visit, the conversation turned to what it takes to become an astronaut. Trump listened as the physical and intellectual demands involved in qualifying for spaceflight were discussed before joking that he might have done rather well himself. "I would have had no trouble making it," Trump quipped. The lighthearted exchange made the April meeting a natural companion to the more ceremonial Houston reunion four months later.