WASHINGTON, DC – Americans in the nation’s capital overwhelmingly told Fox News they are enthusiastic about NASA’s mission to return astronauts to the moon despite the cost of tens of billions of dollars “I think it’s time to go back,” Martin told Fox News. “It’s something that can bring us together as humans and humanity, to explore space.” But Rick said: “As much as I love space, it’s not my first priority. There are plenty of other reasons I would spend the public’s money on.” NASA on Saturday is scheduled to launch Artemis I, an unmanned rocket intended to orbit the moon and return to Earth. Later missions will be manned, including a third trip expected to bring the first woman to the moon. BUZZ ALDRIN PREDICTS ARTEMIS PROGRAM WILL LEAVE DECADES LEGACY LIKE APOLLO The window for the second launch attempt of the Space System Rocket and Orion Spacecraft is expected to open on September 3 at 2:17 p.m. (AP Photo/John Raoux) NASA’s inspector general predicted the first four missions would cost $4.1 billion and told Congress the price “strikes us as unsustainable.” He also predicted that NASA will have spent $93 billion on the Artemis program by 2025. But cost didn’t matter to most Americans who spoke to Fox News. “I look back at the Apollo missions and all the innovation, the discovery, bringing Americans together, all the best scientists and engineers together,” said Sarah, a former NASA contractor. “I’m very much in favor of sending a man and a woman back to the moon.” Jorge, from Dallas, said he is excited about the launch of Artemis I. “I can’t remember the last time I saw someone in space,” he told Fox News. NASA’S MOON ROCKET ON ORBIT FOR LAUNCH DESPITE LIGHTNING HIDDEN Jorge told Fox News that he is excited about the launch of Artemis I. (Fox News Digital/ Jon MIchael Raasch) Some remembered the Apollo missions, which in 1969 put a man on the moon for the first time. “I’m old enough to remember the last man on the moon,” Norm told Fox News. “It was really cool and I thought it was good for the Americans to do it.” Paula said: “I think it’s a good idea for the US” “I grew up in the ’60s and I was pretty excited about the push to land on the moon back then,” she said. “We have to continue in this direction.” NASA plans to put astronauts on the moon for the first time since the 1970s. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File) NASA READY FOR SECOND LAUNCH ATTEMPT OF ARTEMIS 1 SATURDAY AFTERNOON Artemis I was originally scheduled to lift off earlier this week, but weather and hardware concerns delayed the launch. Not everyone thought he should start over at all. “I’m old and I know we went there in ’69,” Peter told Fox News. “I’m not sure what we got out of it other than the fact that we could do it.” NASA’s Artemis I Moon rocket launches at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. ((Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)) But others felt that the US should explore beyond the moon. “We don’t just have to go to the moon, we have to see if we can go anywhere else,” Alfonso, from Florida, told Fox News. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Martin said that “there’s a whole universe out there and why should we limit ourselves to just our planet if we have the ability and the technology and the initiatives to move forward?” “We have all this technology,” he continued. “We have to use it.” The window for Artemis I’s second launch attempt is expected to open at 2:17 p.m. EDT. Jon Michael Raasch is an associate producer/writer with Fox News Digital Originals.
