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Trump Crashed NASA's Press Conference to Praise the Space Telescope He Repeatedly Tried to Kill
Gizmodo • • science
Key Points:
- NASA successfully launched the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on August 30, a $4 billion observatory designed to study dark energy, dark matter, and conduct wide-field infrared surveys of the universe.
- During the post-launch news conference, President Donald Trump unexpectedly called in to congratulate NASA, despite having previously attempted to cancel the Roman mission multiple times during his administration.
- The Trump administration proposed significant budget cuts in 2025 that would have terminated the Roman telescope and many other NASA science missions, but these cuts were ultimately averted by Congress.
- Despite his prior attempts to defund the project, Trump took credit for NASA’s recent successes, highlighting improvements at Kennedy Space Center and announcing initiatives like the U.S. Space Academy during a recent visit.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman expressed gratitude for the president’s support and optimism about potential increased funding for future scientific missions following the call.
