MARS ON A BUDGET: This morning President Trump sat with his daughter Ivanka Trump and astronaut Kate Rubins to hold a video conference congratulating Commander Peggy Whitson for breaking the record for the total time spent in space by an American astronaut, hitting 534 days today. The congratulations was part of a greater push from the President (with the support of Ivanka) to promote women in STEM.
“You may know that my father recently signed the Inspire Women Act to encourage female participation in STEM fields across all airspace and really with a focus on NASA,” said Ivanka. “Encouraging women and girls to pursue STEM careers is a major priority for this administration.”
The President also reiterated his desire to see humans on Mars during his term, something Whitson noted would take a boost of funding and global collaboration. “Unfortunately Space Flight takes a lot of time and money, so getting there will require some international cooperation in order to make it successful,” said Whitson. “It is a very expensive endeavor.”
This comes at a time when the Trump's budget proposal threatens to cut $115-million from NASA’s Office of Education, a department whose mission is to strengthen NASA’s future workforce, attract and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, disciplines and engage Americans in NASA’s mission.
