'You lavished us with gifts': Artemis astronauts return the favor with a surprise gift for Trump

HOUSTON, TEXAS: President Donald Trump, on Friday, August 28, received an unexpected gift from the Artemis II crew after honoring the astronauts at the Johnson Space Center.

Pilot Victor Glover presented Trump with a NASA flight jacket, explaining that the crew had discussed getting one for the president after their White House visit.

The jacket carried NASA and mission insignia, along with special patches representing Trump’s 45th and 47th presidencies.

Artemis II crew's return gift for Trump

The blue NASA bomber jacket presented to President Donald Trump carried more than the agency's familiar insignia.

Along with Artemis mission patches, Glover also pointed out NASA's iconic “meatball” logo and the insignia of the Flight Operations Directorate, the organization within the astronaut office to which the Artemis crew belongs, as he walked Trump through the jacket's details.

The jacket was a return gesture from the astronauts.

Glover reminded Trump that during their previous meeting at the White House, the president had spent time with the crew and given them gifts.

“When we were in your office, you lavished us with gifts and your time. We mentioned getting you one of these blue flight jackets. Here, we have your flight jacket today,” Glover said.

The jacket itself is closely tied to NASA's astronaut and flight crew culture.

NASA flight jacket replicas have also become popular memorabilia among space enthusiasts.

Glover handed over the jacket during a ceremony celebrating the Artemis II crew and the US space program, giving the event a more personal moment between the astronauts and the president.

Trump announces US Space Academy

Trump also used the NASA event to unveil plans for a new institution aimed at preparing the next generation of America’s space workforce.

Under an executive order signed by Trump, a proposed US Space Academy would be developed to support the Space Force, NASA, and the commercial spaceflight sector.

The administration said the institution would bring together technical training, leadership development, discipline, and public service.

Trump pitched the idea as an ambitious undertaking, saying he wanted the academy to be “so good and so exciting.”

The order directs NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to lead a newly created Presidential Commission on the Space Academy, with NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson serving as its executive director. No location has yet been selected for the proposed institution.

The announcement came alongside Trump’s vision for expanding the US presence beyond Earth.

He said American astronauts would return to the Moon before the end of his term, with plans for a permanent lunar settlement eventually leading to human missions to Mars.