We’re going to Mars.
Earlier Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed into law a $19.5 billion bill that adds human exploration of the Red Planet as a NASA goal, the Associated Press reports. The law also expands upon other NASA programs, including support of commercial and deep space exploration, as well as funding for the International Space Station.
“America’s space program has been a blessing to our people and to the entire world,” President Trump said, acknowledging the “heroic” and “amazing” astronauts who have gone into space, including those “who have lost their lives” throughout the years.
“With this legislation, we support NASA’s scientists, engineers, astronauts, and their pursuit of discovery,” Trump said, adding that the bill is “about jobs, also.”
The NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017 authorizes funding for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. Below, President Trump signs the legislation for the press gathered the Oval Office.
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