President Trump wants to send a manned space flight to Mars during his time in office, which is about a decade faster than most estimates say is possible.
During a video call with NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson on Monday, Trump asked when she thinks a manned trip to Mars would be possible. Whitson said the current estimates of such a trip being possible in the 2030s seems right to her, but Trump wants to be more aggressive.
“We want to try and do it during my first term or at worst during my second term,” Trump said, “so we’re going to have to speed that up a little, OK?”
Whitson was speaking with Trump via video conference to celebrate breaking the record for longest continuous time in space. Whitson has been in space for 534 days.
Trump questioned Whitson about the technology she’s using in space and what her mission has been like. At one point, he got a few laughs when Whitson told him the astronauts in the International Space Station have been drinking their own urine — after filtering and purifying it — and she said it wasn’t that bad.
“That’s good, I’m glad to hear that,” he said. “Better you than me.”
