Gallery: President Obama and NASA

Apollo 11 Crew Meets Obama

NASA/Bill Ingall

President Barack Obama poses with Apollo 11 astronauts, from left, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong, Monday, July 20, 2009, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing.

President Barack Obama Talks to Astronauts Aboard the International Space Station

NASA/Bill Ingalls

U.S. President Barack Obama, accompanied by members of Congress and middle school children, waves as he talks on the phone from the Roosevelt Room of the White House to astronauts on the International Space Station, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010 in Washington.

President Obama Appears in Doorway of Air Force One

NASA

President Barack Obama arrives at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard Air Force One, prior to addressing a space conference.

President Barack Obama Waves From Air Force One

NASA

President Barack Obama waves as he exits Air Force One along with Senator Bill Nelson after landing at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Thursday, April 15, 2010.

President Obama and Advisors De-plane

NASA

President Barack Obama, left, exits Air Force One with (L to R) US Representative Suzanne M. Kosmas (D - FL), U.S Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin after landing at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Thursday, April 15, 2010.

President Obama Quizzes Astronauts on Life in Space

NASA/Bill Ingalls.

U.S. President Barack Obama, with middle school children, prepares to hand over the phone to a student to ask a question to astronauts on the International Space Station during an event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010 in Washington.

NASA Deputy Administrator Shakes Hands with the President

NASA

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver shakes hands with President Barack Obama as she and NASA Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, left, welcome the President to Kennedy in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Thursday, April 15, 2010.

Come Talk to Me

NASA/Bill Ingalls

President Barack Obama walks with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk while touring the SpaceX launch facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on April 15, 2010. The President stopped by on his way to visit NASA’s nearby Kennedy Space Center to deliver remarks on his planned new for U.S. human space flight.

Senator Bill Nelson at the Podium Shakes Hands with the President

NASA

In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, President Barack Obama greets U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson before addressing the participants of the Conference on the American Space Program for the 21st Century as NASA Administrator Charles Bolden looks on, at right.

President Obama Makes a Call

Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

President Barack Obama makes a phone call with the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station from the Oval Office, March 3, 2011. Listening in the background are, from left: Ted Wackler, Acting Chief of Staff, Office of Science and Technology; Damon Wells, Assistant Director for Aeronautics and Space, Office of Science and Technology; and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Space.com Staff
News and editorial team

Space.com is the premier source of space exploration, innovation and astronomy news, chronicling (and celebrating) humanity's ongoing expansion across the final frontier. Originally founded in 1999, Space.com is, and always has been, the passion of writers and editors who are space fans and also trained journalists. Our current news team consists of Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik; Editor Hanneke Weitering, Senior Space Writer Mike Wall; Senior Writer Meghan Bartels; Senior Writer Chelsea Gohd, Senior Writer Tereza Pultarova and Staff Writer Alexander Cox, focusing on e-commerce. Senior Producer Steve Spaleta oversees our space videos, with Diana Whitcroft as our Social Media Editor.