Space4 min(s) read
Published 08:53 07 Apr 2026 GMT
People point out Artemis II astronauts' awkward response to Trump after historic Moon mission
Social media users have pointed out the Artemis II astronauts' awkward response to Donald Trump after their historic Moon mission.
On Monday (April 6), the crew of three Americans and one Canadian reached an incredible distance of 252,756 miles from Earth.
They beat the Apollo 13 record from 1970 by more than 4,000 miles and became the first humans to see parts of the moon’s far side with the naked eye.
Later that evening, the president spoke to Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Jeremy Hansen for over 12 minutes.
The 79-year-old praised the crew for their historic achievement. "Today, you’ve made history and made all America really proud," he told them, cited by Daily Beast. "Humans have never really seen anything quite like what you’re doing in a manned spacecraft. It’s really special."
Record-Breaking Mission and Lunar Blackout
During the mission, the crew experienced a scheduled communications blackout lasting around 40 minutes as they passed behind the moon’s far side.
Just before losing contact, they shared a heartfelt message on social media, saying: "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."
According to Chronicle Live, the team reported seeing features of the moon’s mysterious far side and even witnessed a total solar eclipse.
Trump Call Takes An Unexpected Turn
The celebratory tone shifted during Trump’s call when Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen thanked the president on behalf of Canada for allowing him to take part in the mission.
Trump replied by referencing hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and other Canadian figures he knows, saying they were proud of Hansen.
"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."
Instead of replying, the astronauts fell silent and watched their floating microphone drift in zero gravity while smiling awkwardly at the camera.
The silence stretched for nearly a full minute, with the president also quiet on the other end.
"Silence in space hits different like a cosmic void filled with awkwardness and existential dread," one online user reacted, while another said: "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 by checking with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to confirm the president was still connected.
Both Isaacman and Trump confirmed they were still on the line. This prompted laughter from one end as Wiseman gave a thumbs-up.
"I think we might have gotten cut off," the president said. "It is a long distance, it’s a long ways. The reception’s been great,” he added.
Despite the awkward silence, Trump concluded the call by telling the crew that he hoped to welcome them to the Oval Office once they returned.
"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.
He also hinted at what could come next for human spaceflight, adding: "I know you have Mars very much in your mind, so we’ll start thinking about that pretty soon, I think."