President Donald Trump called the astronauts of the Artemis II mission after their historic lunar flyby on Monday and invited them to the Oval Office upon their return to Earth.
"Today you made history and made all of America truly proud, incredibly proud. Lately, we have a lot to be proud of, but this is—there’s nothing like what you’re doing, circling the Moon for the first time in over half a century and breaking the all-time record for the farthest distance from planet Earth," said Trump.
After inviting the astronauts to visit the White House, Trump said:
"I’ll be asking for your autographs. I don’t ask for many autographs, but you deserve it. I look forward to hosting you in the Oval Office of the White House, and we will celebrate your incredible achievements and trials," he conveyed.
He also emphasized that the U.S. will establish a permanent base on the Moon.
"We will plant our flag again, and this time we won’t just leave footprints—we will establish a permanent presence on the Moon and set our sights on Mars. That will be very exciting. I’m looking forward to it so much. I wish I could be there, but maybe we won’t quite make it in terms of timing," he concluded.
After capturing images of the far side of the Moon and conducting various scientific and other analyses, the astronauts went on a well-deserved rest.
"Thank you so much for taking us on this journey with you. We hope you have sweet dreams of the joy of the Moon," announced NASA’s center on Earth.
According to the space agency, the first images captured by the astronauts are expected to be released as early as today.