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WASHINGTON – Two days after a distinctly American solar eclipse, President Joe Biden announces that the United States will be accompanied by one of its closest friends, Japan, on its next visit to the Moon, its closest neighbor in heaven. did.
Biden announced Wednesday at a press conference with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that a Japanese astronaut will become the first non-American to land on the moon.
Biden and Kishida met at the White House as part of the Japanese prime minister’s official visit to Washington.
During that meeting, the two leaders affirmed the science and education ties between the two countries, Biden said. “That bond extends all the way to the moon, where two Japanese astronauts will participate in future American missions, one of whom will become the first non-American astronauts ever to land on the moon.” ” he said.
The news comes two days after millions of Americans stepped out of their homes Monday and looked up at the sky to watch the moon eclipse the sun’s face. A distant reality covered that moment.
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Most of them weren’t even born yet in 1972, when humans last set foot on the moon.
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Under its Artemis program, NASA aims to send an astronaut mission to the moon in the next few years for the first time since the early ’70s.
The space agency is also considering establishing a scientific moon base that could be a stepping stone to future exploration of Mars.
Dozens of companies, spacecraft, and countries are participating in this effort.
The White House said Japan will provide and maintain pressurized rovers to support astronauts living and working on the moon. The pressurized spacecraft is intended to allow astronauts to travel farther and work on the lunar surface for longer periods of time.
Who has ever walked on the moon?
According to NASA, 12 astronauts have walked on the moon so far.
Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin made the first successful spaceflight in 1969 as part of the Apollo manned space flight program, which lasted from 1968 to 1972.
Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @mcollinsNEWS.
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