Long-distance call: Trump speaks with astronaut Peggy Whitson
President Trump on Monday called the International Space Station to congratulate NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson on setting NASA's career record for most days in space, with 535 days.
Trump was joined by his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins during the 18-minute Earth-to-space call from the Oval Office of the White House.
"This is a very special day in the glorious history of American spaceflight," Trump radioed from the Oval Office. "That's an incredible record to break. On behalf of our nation and frankly on behalf of the world, I'd like to congratulate you. That is really something."
Whitson, 57, commander of the station's five-person Expedition 51 crew, said, "It's an honor for me basically to be representing all the folks at NASA who make this spaceflight possible, and who make me setting this record feasible."
Whitson, who holds the record for most spacewalks by a woman astronaut and is the first woman to command the ISS twice, set another record Monday when she surpassed the previous record of 534 cumulative days in space previously set by astronaut Jeff Williams.
During the call, Trump was enthusiastic about NASA's goal to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s but impatient about the timeline.
"We want to try it during my first term, or at worst during my second term, so we'll have to speed that up a little bit, OK?" he said.
"We'll do our best," said Whitson, who has now spent nearly a year-and-a-half of her life in space over three missions.
NASA currently is targeting a first launch of astronauts from Kennedy Space Center on the new Space Launch System rocket at best in 2021, and possibly not before 2023 — late in Trump’s prospective second term.
The space agency is studying whether that first test flight with a crew, looping around the moon, can be accelerated.
Asked what we’re learning in space, Whitson discussed the hundreds of science experiments being performed in microgravity and testing of technologies needed for Mars missions. Among those technologies: turning urine into drinkable water.
“It’s really not as bad as it sounds,” she said.
“Well that’s good, I’m glad to hear that,” said Trump. “Better you than me.”
Astronaut Jack Fischer, who arrived at the station Thursday, joined her for the call with the president.
Whitson, who has another five months remaining in her third long-duration tour on the space station, broke the NASA record for cumulative days in space that was set last year by Williams.
Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka still holds the all time record by a wide margin, with 879 total days in space.
Whitson recently became the first woman to command the station twice and her six spacewalks are the most by a woman. Her seventh spacewalk is scheduled next month.
A sign hanging behind Whitson read, "Congrats Peggy!! New U.S. High-Time Space Ninja."
Contributing: Emre Kelly, Florida Today. Follow James Dean on Twitter: @flatoday_jdean
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