In an interview on NASA's "Launch America" approximately 18 minutes after the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said he watched the launch with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, and that Trump's attendance at Wednesday's earlier launch attempt was "a big risk."
Interviewer Derrol Nail of NASA communications introduced Bridenstine, his boss, saying, "America's back, launching human astronauts again." He asked Bridenstine for his feelings about "President Trump becoming the third sitting president to watch a launch live from the Kennedy Space Center."
"To be clear," said Bridenstine, "I think he's the only sitting president to watch American astronauts launch on a brand-new rocket that has never launched before, and that's a big risk, you know."
"He also said were going to go to the moon by 2024," Bridenstine said. "That means he's putting himself at risk to say, 'look, I'm going to be accountable, potentially, I'm going to be accountable to the initiatives that I put forward,' and I think that's, we have not had that kind of leadership for space in a long, long time and I'm so grateful for it."
When Nail asked Bridenstine what was it like watching the launch with the president, and how Trump reacted, Bridenstine said, "it's obviously something that is near and dear to him."
"He said it a year and a half ago, he put it in the state of the union speech," said Bridenstine. "He said 'we're going to launch American astronauts on an American rocket from American soil,' and of course I was like, in my head, I'm thinking, 'we better get after this.'"We welcome readers to submit letters regarding articles and content in Orlando Weekly. Letters should be a minimum of 150 words, refer to content that has appeared on Orlando Weekly, and must include the writer's full name, address, and phone number for verification purposes. No attachments will be considered. Writers of letters selected for publication will be notified via email. Letters may be edited and shortened for space.
Email us at feedback@orlandoweekly.com.
Orlando Weekly works for you, and your support is essential.
Our small but mighty local team works tirelessly to bring you high-quality, uncensored news and cultural coverage of Central Florida.
Unlike many newspapers, ours is free – and we'd like to keep it that way, because we believe, now more than ever, everyone deserves access to accurate, independent coverage of their community.
Whether it's a one-time acknowledgement of this article or an ongoing pledge, your support helps keep Orlando’s true free press free.