CBS host’s moon-colonialism rant explodes back into headlines — bizarre on-air moment stuns viewers as scientist’s blunt response sparks new wave of backlash
A single comment turned a space segment into a viral storm. As clips resurface, the clash between cosmic fears and scientific facts is reigniting outrage — and fascination
CBS News host Vladimir Duthiers feared on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s plans to beat China and Russia in the current space race will lead to “colonialism.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has expedited the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) timeline to place a reactor on the moon before China or Russia can. In response, Duthiers worried on “CBS Mornings” that maybe the U.S. should not engage in colonial practices because of how it supposedly worked on Earth.
“We know how the age of colonialism worked on this planet. Should we be trying to colonize and say there’s a keep-out zone that not other countries can participate in?” Duthiers said.
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Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson stated that, unlike colonization on Earth, there are “no moon beings” that are already inhabiting the moon.
“The real problem with colonization history in Western civilization is that there were people already there,” deGrasse Tyson responded. “There are no moon beings that were just placed there.”
A push for a reactor on the moon comes after experts grew concerned over the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” the amount of money being spent and how it would dump billions of dollars into a currently stalled space launch vehicle
NASA is recruiting companies that can create the reactor by 2030, which is around the same time that China intends to launch its first astronaut to the moon, Politico first reported. The Trump administration plans for the nuclear reactor to generate at least 100 kilowatts of power and be transported aboard a heavy class lander with a payload of 15 metric tons.
The agency previously funded research into a 40-kilowatt reactor that was intended to be launched in 2030, Politico reported.
In April, former NASA astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison derailed an interview on “CBS Mornings” after Duthiers used the term “mankind” instead of “humankind.” The CBS host could be heard apologizing for his use of the common term and corrected himself to say “humankind.”