Donald Trump leaves the White House with Melania to watch Elon Musk’s first manned spaceflight take off in Florida as NASA astronauts launch from American soil for first time in nine years
- President Trump and first lady Melania Trump departed the White House Wednesday to travel to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida
- The Trumps and the Pences will watch the historic launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule
- NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will travel to the International Space Station on the new vehicle
- Wednesday’s launch will be the first in nine years from American soil since the end of the Space Shuttle program
- President Trump and Vice President Pence will make remarks at the Kennedy Space Center after the launch, which is scheduled for 4:33 p.m.
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump departed the White House Wednesday to watch the historic launch of a SpaceX rocket and Crew Dragon capsule ferry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.
The Trumps walked out of the Oval Office at 12:30 p.m., with the president skipping a Q&A with the gathered press, holding the first lady’s hand as they boarded Marine One, neither wearing face masks. She put one on while inside the helicopter.
Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence had traveled ahead to the Kennedy Space Center, where astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be the first to launch from American soil since the end of the Space Shuttle program, which concluded nine years ago.
President Trump (left) didn’t hold an impromptu Q&A with reporters Wednesday instead holding first lady Melania Trump’s (right) hand en route to Marine One
The Trumps walked together to Marine One Wednesday as they headed to the Kennedy Space Center to see the historic SpaceX-NASA launch
A masked Secret Service agent stands in front of Marine One as it lifts off from the White House’s South Lawn Wednesday
First lady Melania Trump put on a mask once inside Marine One Wednesday as she and President Trump traveled to the Kennedy Space Center to see American astronauts lift off for the first time in nine years
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk to Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews Wednesday
First lady Melania Trump (right) and President Trump (center) board Air Force One Wednesday as they head to Florida to see the SpaceX rocket and capsule take two NASA astronauts to space
Air Force Once takes off from Joint Base Andrews Wednesday en route to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida
NASA astronaut Robert Behnken gives a thumbs up to Vice President Mike Pence who was there to see the astronauts say goodbye to their families and leave in white Teslas
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley said goodbye to their families and then boarded a Tesla Model X, which is the other company associated with SpaceX founder Elon Musk
Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken made hugging motions toward their family members before Wednesday’s historic launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule
Hurley was the pilot of the final Space Shuttle mission. In recent years, American astronauts have had to travel to the International Space Station on Russian rockets.
The Pences, who were wearing face masks, stood alongside Behnken, Hurley and their families as the astronauts said goodbye Wednesday afternoon.
The astronauts’ mission is expected to last between one and four months.
They then got into Tesla Model X cars, the other company associated with SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
The white Teslas had NASA’s ‘worm’ logo on the rear window and spherical blue logo on the sides.
Musk, also in a mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, stood nearby.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will take off from Launch Pad 39A, the same facility used by Neil Armstrong and the Apollo crew for their historic voyage to the moon.
Lift-off is scheduled for 4:33 p.m., though weather could postpone the launch.
Both Pence and Trump will deliver remarks from the Kennedy Space Center after the launch.