Published 07:19 IST, April 1st 2020
Amid soaring COVID-19 cases in US, Neil Tyson taunts 'can go on Moon, can't cure corona'
Amid soaring Coronavirus cases in the US, American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has said that the country can put a man on the moon but cannot cure virus
- Science News
- 3 min read
Amid soaring Coronavirus cases in the United States, American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has said that the country can put a man on the moon but cannot cure the novel virus. In what seemed to be a mockery of US President Donald Trump's delayed reaction to the pandemic that has so far claimed over thousand lives, he added that the country has not even been able to put a man on the Moon in last 45 years.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11 lunar module, become the first human being to step foot on the moon. The United States then completed six crewed missions to the moon that landed a total of 12 astronauts from 1969 to 1972 in a series of Apollo missions numbering up to Apollo 17. The only mission that failed to reach the moon’s surface was Apollo 13.
In his Tuesday press briefing, Trump called himself the "cheerleader for the country" and told the people of America to brace for "very painful" weeks ahead. Addressing the media Trump said, "I don't want to be negative... This is easy to be negative about but I want to give people hope too. You know, I'm a cheerleader for the country. We are going through the worst thing that the country has never seen... I want to give people in this country hope."
The confirmed cases of those infected by the deadly disease in the country have risen to 164,000 and fatalities have crossed 3,100. Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said that the next 30 days are very vital for America in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. He also extended the "social distancing" guidelines until April 30. More than 250 million of America's 330 million population are in stay at home order and more than two dozen states have been notified as major disaster declaration, in addition to declaration of national emergency.
Updated 07:19 IST, April 1st 2020