Buzz Aldrin’s Tweet About Space Force Has Some #Disappointed

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Former U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin – one of the first two humans to walk on the moon – may have just given a big thumbs-up to President Donald Trump’s proposed “Space Force."

On Friday, Aldrin posted a curious-but-brief message on Twitter: “One giant leap in the right direction. #SpaceForce”

Aldrin, a graduate of Montclair High School, was commenting on a tweet from Vice President Mike Pence which read: “Since day one of our administration, @POTUS has kept his promise to restore America’s proud legacy of leadership in space. Now the time has come to write the next great chapter in the history of our Armed Forces. The time has come to establish the United States #SpaceForce.”

• See related article: Montclair's Buzz Aldrin: 1st Man To Pee On Moon, Take Selfie In Space
• See related article: Buzz Aldrin To Appear At Montclair School Renaming Ceremony

In a recent speech at the Pentagon, Vice President Mike Pence said President Donald Trump has promised to ensure America is dominant in space, which was once peaceful and uncontested but is now crowded and adversarial.

Hence the president’s proposed creation of the sixth branch of the military… the U.S. Space Force.

"Now the time has come to write the next great chapter in the history of our armed forces, to prepare for the next battlefield where America's best and bravest will be called to deter and defeat a new generation of threats to our people, to our nation," said Pence. "The time has come to establish the United States Space Force."

• See related article: Pence To Talk About New 'Space Force' (WATCH)
• See related article: Space Force Logo Designs Unveiled (Vote For Your Favorite)

Aldrin’s Twitter comment was somewhat surprising to many social media users, who turned his infamous “eye roll” during Trump’s “space talk” speech last year into a viral video sensation.

Some of the critical comments that Twitter users left for Aldrin included:

• “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon, July 1969 A.D. **We came in PEACE for all mankind.**”
• “Oh Buzz...#disappointed”
• “It cost $150 billion (adjusted) just to send 12 men to the moon and your VP insists that they can have a space force on an $8 billion budget?”
• “We need Starfleet, not the Romulan Empire.”

However, many Twitter users also sided with Aldrin and urged their peers to look closer at the president’s proposed “Space Force” concept… in the name of science:

• “Next time don’t assume. You are wrong… The space force isn’t going to be researching weapons, it is merely a condensed version of USAF space command with better funding.”
• “It's an idea that's been debated within @NASA for many years. There have always been space experts for it & opposed to it, but it's not at all what the public have been misled to believe recently - it's not about fighting in space!”
• “Thanks Buzz. I’m no Trump or Pence supporter but people seem to be really choosing their political affiliation over what makes sense. Our satellites might just be America's greatest assets after the American people.”

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