US President Donald Trump on Friday, 29 August praised Indian-origin NASA astronaut Anil Menon and his two crewmates as 'great Americans, great patriots, brave people' during a live call to the International Space Station (ISS), extending a personal invitation to visit the Oval Office upon their return to Earth. The call was placed from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

What Trump Said to the Crew

'This is a great honor, to be with you is a great honor and I just want to thank Jessica, Anil, Jack, great Americans, great patriots, brave people,' Trump told the crew, which also includes astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway. In a candid aside, Trump added: 'I wouldn't do it. I will tell you right now, I hate to admit it, I would not want to do it, but some people love it more than anything.'

Trump praised the crew's courage, noting that even their selection for the mission was itself a significant achievement. He concluded the call by urging the astronauts to return safely and confirmed an Oval Office meeting: 'We're going to see you when you get back. In fact, if you want, Oval Office time, right?'

Menon Speaks on Spacewalk and Space Force Pride

Colonel Anil Menon, who serves in the US Space Force, told Trump he was proud to serve 'in the largest domain imaginable.' Menon described a spacewalk he completed the previous week, saying he had the opportunity to view the space station from a robotic arm and witness 'the incredible ingenuity that we are capable of.'

Menon also expressed enthusiasm about missions beyond low-Earth orbit. 'We are going to pave the way to our next journey to the Moon, Moon Base and Mars,' he said, thanking Trump for 'propelling us in that direction.'

Space Academy Announcement and Broader Context

The call followed Trump's announcement of plans for a US Space Academy, which he said would be placed at the same institutional level as West Point, the Naval Academy, the Coast Guard Academy, and the Air Force Academy. 'If we're going to do it, it has to be at that very high level. Those are among the hardest schools to get into in the whole country,' Trump said.

Hathaway, a Naval Academy graduate, said his institution would be ready to support the proposed Space Academy. Meir told Trump the crew was completing several spacewalks and preparing for another one the following week. Trump also reiterated pride in having established the Space Force during his first term, arguing that space-based intelligence had grown critical to US military operations.

Who Is Anil Menon

Menon was born and raised in Minneapolis to Indian and Ukrainian immigrant parents. He was selected by NASA for its 2021 astronaut candidate class after serving as SpaceX's first flight surgeon and as a NASA crew flight surgeon supporting ISS missions.

He launched aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft on 14 July alongside cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. According to NASA, the three-member crew is expected to spend approximately eight months aboard the orbital laboratory — conducting research and technology demonstrations — before returning to Earth in April 2027.

Menon's wife, Anna Menon, was present at the Johnson Space Center and briefly addressed the crew: 'Hi, it's Anna. Great to see you guys up there. We love you guys. You're doing a great job.'

With the Space Academy proposal now on the table and a Moon-to-Mars roadmap being actively discussed, Menon's mission sits at the symbolic centre of America's next chapter in space exploration.