Trump's team sets plans to definitely, maybe, one day go to the moon

Transportation Secretary and acting Administrator of NASA Sean Duffy

Transportation Secretary and acting Administrator of NASA Sean Duffy appeared on Fox Business Thursday to crow about the recent distraction White House announcement that the U.S. is returning to the moon—sorta.

“Yeah. So, listen, this is exciting. This is the first time we're going back to the moon,” Duffy said. “We're not going to land this time. We're going to go out around the moon and come back. And, by the way, our four-person crew is amazing. Hopefully I'll have them on the show one time,” Duffy added—sounding just as informed about our space exploration as he does about transportation. 

After mentioning that we will eventually land on the moon, Duffy enthusiastically told the Fox audience that “space exploration is exciting. People love it. And this time, when we go back to the moon, we're going to stay, we're going to set up a base.”

Duffy then presented a lesson on why China and the U.S. are racing to colonize the moon’s southern pole, which has ice. “Ice is, is water,” he said. “Ice is CO₂. That means life.”

It’s Mr. Wizard, everyone!

The Trump administration, alongside billionaire Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, has gutted the space agency, cutting billions from its budget and downsizing its scope, all while claiming the goal of returning to the moon and establishing a permanent base.

And the plan to win the space race against China seems to rely on Musk’s SpaceX business—privately owned, egregiously subsidized by the government, and, according to reports, secretly funded with Chinese investments.

That is what passes for winning, apparently.