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President Donald Trump on Friday spoke with American astronauts aboard the International Space Station from Houston, where he honored the Artemis II crew moments earlier.
Trump joked at the beginning of the phone call that many Americans would love to travel to space.
“I wouldn’t do it,” he said from NASA’s Johnson Space Center. “I hate to admit it. I would not want to do it. But some people love it more than anything.”
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The astronauts said they were “thrilled” to speak with Trump and that they were “in the middle of several spacewalks,” with another one planned for next week.
Trump called the crew a group of “pioneers” for their efforts in space exploration.
He welcomed other officials to speak to the ISS crew and offered to welcome the astronauts to the White House when they return.
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“We’re going to see you when you get back,” he said. “In fact, if you want Oval Office time, right?”
A short time earlier, Trump honored the crew of the Artemis II with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and signed an executive order establishing the U.S. Space Force Academy.
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“It will be at that same level when you serve West Point, Air Force, Coast Guard, Navy, Annapolis,” Trump said, comparing it to the other U.S. military academies. “It’s going to be at that level.”