A lot of people on social media have zeroed in on an awkward moment between the Artemis II crew and Donald Trump during their conversation.
During the mission, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Jeremy Hansen experienced a planned communications blackout lasting around 40 minutes. Just before losing signal, they shared a message on social media: “As we prepare to go out of radio communication… to all of you down there on Earth, and around Earth – we love you from the moon.”
Later that evening, President Donald Trump spoke with the crew for more than 12 minutes, praising their achievement.
“Today, you’ve made history and made all America really proud,” he told them, cited by Daily Beast, according to VT. “Humans have never really seen anything quite like what you’re doing in a manned spacecraft. It’s really special.”
When Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen thanked Donald Trump on behalf of Canada for allowing him to take part in the mission, Trump responded by referencing Wayne Gretzky and other Canadian figures, saying they were proud of him.
“You have a lot of courage. I’m not sure if they’d want to do that,” he said. “I’m not even sure if ‘The Great One’ would want to do that, to be honest with you… but you have a lot of courage doing what you’re doing, a lot of bravery and a lot of genius, but they’re very proud of you.”
Artemis II in contact with Donald Trump
What followed didn’t go unnoticed. Instead of responding, the astronauts remained quiet, watching their microphone float in zero gravity as they exchanged awkward smiles with the camera. The pause stretched for nearly a minute, with Trump also remaining silent.
“Silence in space hits different like a cosmic void filled with awkwardness and existential dread,” one user wrote online, according to VT, while another added: “I think the funniest part is actually them being more entertained by spinning the microphone around than whatever Trump is saying.”
Mission commander Reid Wiseman eventually broke the silence. He asked NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman if the president was still on the line. Both Isaacman and Trump confirmed the connection, and then laughed as Wiseman gave a thumbs-up.
“I think we might have gotten cut off,” Trump said. “It is a long distance, it’s a long ways. The reception’s been great,” he added.
The president ended the call saying he hoped to welcome them to the Oval Office when they return.
“I’ll ask Jared to bring you over, and I’ll ask for your autograph, because I don’t really ask for autographs much, but you deserve that, you really are something. Everybody’s talking about this,” he said.
