THEY BOTH SAT DOWN FOR AN
INTERVIEW WITH KRISTIN FISHER.
REPORTER: MR. VICE PRESIDENT, A
MAJOR MILESTONE IN THE ARTEMIS
PROGRAM TODAY.
HE CAME DOWN TO THE KENNEDY
SPACE CENTER ON THE 50TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE LUNAR
LANTERN AS THE ORION CAPSULE
HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
WHEN WOULD BE READY TO FLY?
>> THEY TELL ME THERE WILL BE A
TEST FLIGHT LATER THIS YEAR.
MAYBE EARLY NEXT YEAR.
BUT I KNOW EVERY AMERICAN IS
EXCITED ABOUT THE FACT THAT
UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP'S
LEADERSHIP, WE RENEWED OUR
COMMITMENT TO LEAD IN HUMAN
SPACE EXPLORATION ONCE AGAIN.
AND BEFORE THE NEXT YEAR IS
OUT, YOU WILL SEE AMERICAN
ASTRONAUTS GOING INTO SPACE ON
AMERICAN ROCKETS FROM AMERICAN
SOIL WHICH IS SOMETHING WE HAVE
NOT SEEN SINCE THE SHUTTLE
PROGRAM WAS GROUNDED.
THE BETTER PART OF 10 YEARS
AGO.
THIS IS A PRESIDENT WHO TRULY
BELIEVES THAT WHAT WE ARE
CELEBRATING TODAY, WHAT
HAPPENED 50 YEARS AGO, WITH THE
APOLLO 11 LANDING ON THE MOON,
FIRST MAN ON THE MOON, ALL THE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS, IT SHOULD NOT
ONLY BE AN INSPIRATION TO THE
NATION BUT IT SHOULD INSPIRE
THIS GENERATION OF AMERICANS TO
RENEW OUR COMMITMENT TO LEAD IN
SPACE EXPLORATION.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE
DOING AND BY CERTIFYING THE
ORION CAPSULE TODAY, THAT IT IS
READY TO MOVE BACK TO OHIO AND
START TO BE PREPARED FOR FLIGHT
IS EVIDENCE OF THE FACT THAT WE
RENEWED OUR COMMITMENT TO LEAD
IN SPACE WITH HUMAN SPACE
EXPLORATION ONCE AGAIN.
>> AND I YOU AND PRESIDENT
TRUMP HAVE BEEN THE DRIVING
FORCE TO PUSH NASA AND PUSH THE
UNITED STATES TO GET BACK TO
EITHER THE MOON OR MARS.
THE PLAN FOR ARTEMIS IS TO GO
TO THE MOON FIRST AND THEN USE
AS A JUMPING OFF POINT TO GET
TO MARS.
YESTERDAY IN THE OVAL OFFICE,
PRESIDENT TRUMP DID NOT SEEM
ENTIRELY CONVINCED THAT WE
SHOULD GO TO THE MOON FIRST.
AND NOT GO DIRECTLY TO MARS.
ARE YOU SURE THAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP IS ON BOARD WITH THE
PLAN?
[LAUGHTER]
>> YOU BET!
100 PERCENT.
THE PRESIDENT SIGNED THIS
SHORTLY AFTER HE STARTED THE
NATIONAL SPACE COUNCIL, REALLY
COMMITTED THE UNITED STATES TO
RETURN TO THE MOON AND THEN GO
TO MARS.
AND BUT --
REPORTER: THERE'S NO CHANCE
THAT WILL GO DOWN THE ROAD AND
THE PRESENT WILL SAY NO, NO.
REALLY WE ARE GOING STRAIGHT TO
MARS.
>> WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE USE
IT AS A PRESIDENT THAT ALWAYS
WANTS TO GO HIGHER, FATHER,
FASTER THAN ANYONE ELSE IS EVER
GONE.
HE'S ANXIOUS TO THINK LIKE
EVERY AMERICAN IS.
TO SEE AMERICAN ASTRONAUTS ON
MARS.
BUT WHAT WE UNDERSTAND IS THAT
YOU KNOW, THE TRIP TO MARS,
LITERALLY TAKE THE BETTER PART
OF A YEAR AND WILL GO THERE AND
NOT FOR MONTHS BUT, FOR MUCH
LONGER THAN WE'VE EVER SURVIVED
IN SPACE.
SO THAT BY RETURNING TO THE
MOON, BY FOLLOWING IN THE
FOOTSTEPS OF THE APOLLO HEROES
THAT WE REMEMBER HERE TODAY ON
THIS 50TH ANNIVERSARY, BY
RETURNING TO THE MOON WE WILL
DEVELOP THE TECHNOLOGY, THE
TECHNIQUES LITERALLY, THE
MACHINERY TO BE ABLE TO GO TO
MARS AND BE THERE FOR A LONG
AND SUSTAINED PERIOD OF TIME.
REPORTER: GENE KRANZ, THE
FLIGHT DIRECTOR WHO IS IN
MISSION CONTROL WHEN THE EAGLE
LANDED ON THE MOON, HE TOLD
THAT IN ORDER FOR ARTEMIS TO BE
A SUCCESS, IT NEEDS TWO THINGS.
HE NEEDS LEADERSHIP AND UNITY.
I KNOW YOU BELIEVE THAT THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS
PROVIDING THAT LEADERSHIP.
BUT THE UNITY PIECE.
WE WERE VERY DIVIDED CONGRESS
AND VERY DIVIDED COUNTRY.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO
SELL THE PLANT TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE AND TO DEMOCRATS ON
CAPITOL HILL WHO NEED TO FUND
THE PROGRAM?
>> I THINK IT ALL BEGINS WITH A
VISION.
PRESIDENT TRUMP LAID OUT A BOLD
VISION THAT WE WERE GOING TO
RETURN TO THE MOON WITHIN THE
NEXT FIVE YEARS.
AND THEN ON TO MARS.
AND MADE A PLEDGE OF THE FIRST
WOMAN AND THE NEXT MAN ON THE
MOON WOULD BE AN AMERICAN
ASTRONAUT.
WE ARE ALSO MAKING CHANGES IN
OUR NATIONAL SECURITY
APPARATUS.
WE WILL SOON HAVE UNITED STATES
SPACE FORCE TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE CAN DEFEND OUR NATION FROM
THE OUTER REACHES OF SPACE.
BUT AGAIN, IT BEGINS WITH A
VISION JUST LIKE IT DID WITH
PRESIDENT KENNEDY.
REPORTER: BUT YOU THINK
CONGRESS ASSEMBLED FIND IT?
>> THE SAME QUESTIONS WERE
ASKED IN THE 1960S.
HISTORY RECORDS THAT IT WAS NO
EASY LIFT AS WELL.
THERE WERE LOTS OF SKEPTICS AT
THE TIME.
AND FRANKLY, THERE WAS A LOT OF
DIVISION IN AMERICA IN THE
1960S.
>> THERE WAS A WAR GOING ON!
[LAUGHTER]
>> I BELIEVE WE HAVE A SPECIAL
GUEST HERE.
WE HAVE APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUT AND
MOON WALKER, BUZZ ALDRIN.
IT IS SUCH AN HONOR FOR YOU TO
BE HERE AND JOINING US TODAY.
WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO BE
IN THIS ROOM?
THIS IS AN HISTORIC SUIT UP
ROOM WHERE YOU SUITED UP FOR
THE LAUNCHPAD.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
WE DID NOT HAVE ANY LADY
ASTRONAUTS THEN EITHER.
BUT I UNDERSTAND WE WILL NOW,
GOING TO THE MOON.
BUT UNDERNEATH THE VICE
PRESIDENTS LEADERSHIP, OF THE
NATIONAL SPACE COUNCIL AND THE
ENTHUSIASM OF OUR PRESIDENT.
THERE IS A LOT OF LITTLE FAKE
NEWS THAT COMES OUT EVERY SO
OFTEN YOU KNOW.
[LAUGHTER]
>> BUZZ MAKES A GREAT POINT.
HE SAYS THAT THERE WAS A WAR
GOING ON.
THERE WAS A LOT OF DIVISION ON
THE UNITED STATES ON THAT ISSUE
AND MANY OTHER ISSUES BUT WHEN
NEIL ARMSTRONG AND BUZZ ALDRIN
AND MIKE COLLINS WENT TO THE
MOON AND FOR THAT MOMENT A REAL
UNIFIED THE NATION.IT UNIFIED
THE WORLD AND WE TRULY BELIEVE
THAT AS WE RENEW OUR COMMITMENT
TO LEAD IN HUMAN SPACE
EXPLORATION WILL HAVE THE
SUPPORT IN THE CONGRESS THE
COUNTRY AND THE WORLD.
>> THAT'S THE REASON WE ARE
MAKING A BIG THING ABOUT THE
OBSERVANCES.
I CALL IT THE FIVE DECADES OF
APOLLO.
IT GOES ALL AWAY FROM APOLLO 1
THROUGH THIS SUCCESSFUL LANDING
ON UP THROUGH APOLLO 17.
THESE ARE THE FIVE DECADES OF
APOLLO.
AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN
THE DECADES OF ARTEMIS.
REPORTER: YESTERDAY SAID YOU
WERE A BIT FRUSTRATED WITH THE
LACK OF PROGRESS OF HUMANITY
INTO SPACE.
ARE YOU LESS FRUSTRATED IN 2019
THEN YOU WERE A FEW YEARS AGO
AFTER THE SHUTTLE --
>> THINGS NEVER GO THE WAY THAT
THE DREAMERS WOULD REALLY LIKE
RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING.
PRESIDENT KENNEDY GAVE US A
DESTINATION.
AT A TIME, HE FELT SURE THAT WE
WOULD COME UP WITH A PLAN.
AND THE PLAN WAS INITIALLY
THERE.
A FEW WERE NOT SATISFIED WITH
IT.
AND SO THEY CHANGED THE PLAN.
AND IT MADE THE SUCCESS OUT OF
APOLLO.
AND WE NOW HAVE PREPARED A
METHOD OF ADDING TO THE MOON.
AND ONTO MARS.
AND I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD
ALWAYS BE READY FOR
ALTERNATIVES AND THE SPACE
PROGRAM WILL CALL THEM BACKUP
PROCEDURES.
YOU SHOULD HAVE A BACKUP TO
YOUR PRIMARY.
AND WHAT WE DECIDED TO DO WAS
TO MAKE THE PRIMARY DO THE
BACKUP.
THE SAME THING.
SO THAT IF YOU HAD TO NOT DO
THE PRIMARY, THE BACKUP WAS
RIGHT THERE READY TO COME IN
AND TAKE OVER.
REPORTER: BUZZ ALDRIN, IT IS AN
ABSOLUTE HONOR TO BE WITH YOU
TODAY.
50 YEARS AGO TODAY YOU ARE
WALKING ON THE MOON.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT
YOU DID FOR THIS COUNTRY AND
MR. VICE PRESIDENT,
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE
ANNOUNCEMENT OF A COMPLETED
CAPSULE.
>> THANK YOU, KRISTIN.
WE REALLY DO WELL AS A NATION
TO PAUSE AND REMEMBER WHAT BUZZ
ALDRIN, NEIL ARMSTRONG, MIKE
COLLINS AND MORE THAN 400,000
AMERICANS BEHIND THEM AT NASA
AND ALL ACROSS AMERICAN
INDUSTRY ACCOMPLISH.
BUT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE OUGHT
TO KNOW UNDER THE PRESIDENTS
LEADERSHIP WE HAVE A PRESIDENT
THAT HAS LAID OUT A VISION.
WE WORK WITH MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS TO INSPIRE THE NATION
ONCE AGAIN AND AMERICA IS
LEADING IN HUMAN SPACE
EXPLORATION AND IT IS THE
INSPIRATION OF THOSE WHO HAVE
GONE BEFORE LIKE BUZZ ALDRIN.
>> YOU ARE JUST A TEENAGER
DURING WORLD WAR TWO.
AND LOOK AT WHAT OPENED UP.
LOOK AT THE MARVELOUS
OPPORTUNITIES, EXPERIENCES THAT
CAME MY WAY.
JUST NOT AUTOMATIC.
THEY HAPPEN, I WAS VERY
FORTUNATE AND I AM SO VERY
GRATEFUL FOR THIS NATION TO BE
ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE