During a solar eclipse-viewing event on Monday, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) incorrectly informed a group of teenage students that the moon is primarily composed of “gases.” Despite this misconception, she expressed her eagerness to be among the first to live on the lunar surface.
Speaking to students outside Booker T. Washington High School in Houston, the 74-year-old congresswoman made several scientifically questionable statements ahead of the celestial event.
What did Rep. Sheila Jackson say about the moon?
“You’ve heard the term ‘full moon.’ Sometimes you need to take the opportunity to come out and see a full moon, which is that complete rounded circle, primarily made up of gases,” Jackson Lee began. “So the question arises: could humans live on the moon given its gaseous composition?”
She continued, “The sun emits powerful heat, but it’s nearly impossible to approach it. The moon, however, is more manageable. You will see, not immediately but in a few years, that NASA is planning to return to the moon.”
Jackson Lee who seems to have missed her science class also asserted that the moon emits “unique light and energy.” According to a report from the New York Post, she offered an even more perplexing explanation for the solar eclipse.
“I don’t think we’ve been on the moon in the last 50 years. Today you will witness the closest distance the moon has been to Earth in the past 20 years. That’s why the lights will go out because the moon will be close to Earth,” she said, failing to mention the alignment of the sun and moon that causes the eclipse.
What is Rep. Sheila Jackson’s defence?
I was talking about the sun and not the moon, claimed Rep Sheila in her defence. “Obviously I misspoke and meant to say the sun, but as usual, Republicans are focused on stupid things instead of stuff that really matters. What can I say though, foolish thinkers lust for stupidity!”
Expressing her enthusiasm for lunar colonization, Jackson Lee added, “I want to be first in line to learn how to live and survive on the moon. It’s another planet we will soon explore.”
Sheila Jackson’s claims baffles netizens
“Sheila Jackson Lee (D) sat on the House Science Committee AND the House Space Committee…and she thinks the moon is made of gas,” an X user posted.
