Trump attacks NASA, claims the moon is 'a part' of Mars

Followers of astronomy were in for a surprise on Friday, when Donald Trump announced that the moon is part of Mars, The Guardian reports, citing the US president's Twitter profile.

In his recent tweet, apparently commenting on his own administration’s space policy, the president said: “For all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon - We did that 50 years ago.”

He added: “They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science!”

Trump’s declaration is said to have shocked many space enthusiasts, because the moon has not traditionally been regarded as part of Mars.