How NASA’s new mission to the Moon could benefit Trump

Astronauts arrive at the launch site of the Artemis 2 mission in Florida Getty Images The first trip to deep space – far beyond Earth’s orbit – since 1972 comes at a crucial moment in the presidency of American Donald Trump. The United States is deeply divided on issues ranging from ongoing American attacks on Iran to immigration and the economy. Thus, a successful Artemis mission, which will send four astronauts to the Moon this Wednesday (1/4), could give a boost to the Trump administration. The potential benefits are great: a competitive advantage over China, the possibility of a race for lunar resources, and a rare moment of national unity. Officially, the mission — which will take the crew further into space than anyone has ever gone — is an intermediate step, according to NASA (American space agency), towards a permanent lunar base and, eventually, the planet Mars. ‘Stars and stripes on the planet Mars’ Although the US’ interest in returning to the Moon predates its entry into politics, Trump directly created what would become the Artemis program in his first term (2017-2021), by promising to “launch American astronauts to plant stars and stripes (in reference to the American flag) on ​​the planet Mars”. He also saw military opportunities and created a new branch of the Pentagon, the Space Force. In his second term, however, Trump’s goal has shifted to the Moon. In December last year, he signed an executive order that calls for the US return to the Moon by 2028 and the establishment of a permanent base there by 2030. The order states that American superiority in space is a measure of the country’s national vision and will, contributing to its strength, security and prosperity. The executive order did not mention lunar competition with China, a factor that NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has publicly highlighted. “We find ourselves facing a true geopolitical rival, who challenges American leadership in the dispute for space supremacy,” Isaacman said at a NASA event on March 24. “This time, the objective is not flags and footprints,” he added. “This time, the goal is to stay. The US will never give up the Moon again.” Battle for ideological influence on Earth During the Cold War (1947-1991) space race with the Soviets, the goal of reaching the Moon was almost entirely geopolitical. With the US and Russia involved in a dispute for ideological influence on Earth, space has become yet another arena to demonstrate technological superiority, something that, for the US, became increasingly urgent after the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957 — the world’s first satellite — had an impact on the country. The Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957 — the world’s first satellite — was a wake-up call for the U.S. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Then-U.S. President John F. Kennedy made the mission explicitly political, both publicly and privately. “This is important for political reasons,” Kennedy said in a recorded, later declassified, 1962 White House conversation with NASA Administrator James Webb. “This is, whether we like it or not, a race.” After 50 years, NASA launches first manned mission to the Moon Space race with China The new race for the Moon involves the US and China, in addition to the ever-changing plans to place astronauts on the lunar surface in the coming years. Exploration of the Moon could have a potentially lucrative economic angle at a time when the two countries are locked in trade disputes. Sean O’Keefe, former NASA manager, told the BBC that countries that land on the Moon will have the advantage of exploring and developing available resources. “After all these years of thinking the Moon was nothing more than a pile of dust, we understand that it has a huge amount of helium-3,” O’Keefe said, adding that the element could potentially be used to operate compact nuclear reactors with a certain durability. “That opens up a lot of opportunities.” Additionally, the Moon has solid water, which can be used for rocket propulsion, and also has rare earths such as lithium, platinum and other materials essential for electronics and clean energy technologies. On planet Earth, the rare earths market is dominated by Chinese mining operations, something seen as a point of concern for the Trump administration. The value of these resources available on the Moon has not yet been calculated, but it could be gigantic. Helium-3 alone is currently traded for more than US$20,000 per gram (around R$103,000), making it one of the most valuable resources on Earth. ‘Gold Rush on the Moon’ Clayton Swope, veteran of the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology (US intelligence agency) and former advisor on space affairs in the US Congress, compares the “Gold Rush on the Moon” to the Lewis, Clark and Sacagawea expedition through the American West in the early 1800s. “We didn’t really know the value of the western portion of the US, the Pacific Northwest, but we knew they were there,” says Swope. “Part of the lunar mission is trying to figure out the value of that. We can’t put a price or a handful of dollars on the Moon, but we can’t escape competition and rivalry with China.” The Trump administration certainly sees space as another arena for the US to exert its dominance. “Under President Trump’s ‘America First’ policies, the United States will lead humanity into space and enter a new era of transformative achievements in space technology and exploration,” said US government spokeswoman Liz Huston. Trump’s generation grew up amidst the images of astronaut Neil Armstrong taking the historic first steps on the Moon in July 1969, which are also marked in the collective consciousness. Trump’s generation grew up with images of astronaut Neil Armstrong taking his historic first steps on the Moon in July 1969 NASA/Newsmakers In 1969, the US was going through a turbulent period. American soldiers fought and died in an unpopular war in Vietnam. There were tensions related to the fight for civil rights. The assassinations of Reverend Martin Luther King and politician Robert Kennedy were still felt across the country. And the divisive figure of Richard Nixon still occupied the White House. Despite political divisions, it is estimated that somewhere between 125 million and 150 million Americans watched the Apollo 11 moon landing, a rare moment of national pride in a difficult period in American history. The estimated US population in 1969 was 202 million people. National pride Some experts say the Artemis mission could replicate this in 2026, at a time when Americans are once again polarized and at war with another country. “Space is one of the few areas that Americans with different political views can enjoy and watch together,” says Esther Brimmer, senior fellow on space policy at the Council of Foreign Relations think tank. “The space program is something that many Americans grew up with and is seen as a point of pride,” adds Brimmer. “It’s quite unifying in terms of social impact.” “The space program is something that most Americans grew up with and see as a source of pride,” said Esther Brimmer, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations Joe Raedle/Getty Images Astrophysicist David Gerdes was five years old when Armstrong walked on the moon. “One of my earliest memories is being allowed to stay up past my usual bedtime, dozing under a blanket in front of our black and white TV, watching Walter Cronkite report the Apollo 11 landing,” he says. Gerdes, currently a professor at Case Western Reserve University, in Ohio, USA. “Lots and lots of people of all ages have been inspired by the technology, bravery and spirit of the astronauts.” For a moment, Gerdes adds, it transcended partisan divisions. “Indeed, I hope that the return to the Moon by a more diverse group of Americans than those who participated in the mission in the 1960s can actually help to unite the country.” READ ALSO: What will astronauts eat on the mission to orbit the Moon? The menu even has chocolate and coffee

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