Trump touts NASA reauthorization in video

President Trump praised NASA’s history as he reiterated the administration’s commitment to “exploration and discovery” during his weekly White House address on Saturday.

“This week, in the company of astronauts, I was honored to sign the NASA Transition Authorization Act right into law,” Trump said.

{mosads}”With this legislation, we renew our national commitment to NASA’s mission of exploration and discovery. And we continue a tradition that is as old as mankind. We look to the heavens with wonder and curiosity,” he added.

Weekly addresses by presidents and lawmakers typically feature the subject speaking straightforwardly to the camera. But Trump’s address Saturday used an unusual format, combining music and visual effects with a documentary-style narrative.

Trump discussed NASA’s history, including its 1995 experiment to point the Hubble telescope “at one of the emptiest regions of the night sky.”

“In that tiny patch of sky, the Hubble Deep Field showed thousands of lights. Each brilliant spot represented not a single star but an entire galaxy,” Trump said. “The discovery was absolutely incredible.”

Trump also noted that the new NASA legislation would continue the work on the “amazing” James Webb Space Telescope,  soon to be Hubble’s successor.

“At a time when Washington is consumed with the daily debates of our nation, I was proud that Congress came together overwhelmingly to reaffirm our nation’s commitment to expanding the frontiers of knowledge,” Trump said.

“[W]e are a Nation of problem solvers — and the future belongs to us. We are truly a great place to be. I love America,” the president concluded.