India
NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore has backed Elon Musk’s claim that the Biden administration declined SpaceX’s offer to bring him and fellow astronaut Sunita Williams home from the International Space Station (ISS). Wilmore made this statement during an in-orbit press conference alongside Williams, appearing to shift his stance after initially denying any political involvement in their delayed return.
“I can only say that Mr. Musk, what he says, is absolutely factual … I believe him,” Wilmore stated when asked about Musk’s claim that Joe Biden had intentionally stalled their rescue.
However, Wilmore admitted that neither he nor Williams had any concrete knowledge about what transpired behind the scenes. “We have no information on that, though, whatsoever. What was offered, what was not offered, who it was offered to, how that process went. That’s information that we simply don’t have,” he explained.
Wilmore expresses support for Donald Trump and Elon Musk
During the press conference, Wilmore also expressed his admiration for both Musk and former President Donald Trump. “All of us have the utmost respect for Mr. Musk, and obviously, respect and admiration for our president of the United States, Donald Trump. We appreciate them. We appreciate all that they do for us, for human space flight, for our nation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Williams and Wilmore were also asked about Musk’s recent statement on X (formerly Twitter), in which he suggested that the international community should deorbit the ISS “as soon as possible” and shift focus to Mars.
Williams, however, disagreed with Musk’s view, emphasizing the importance of ongoing research aboard the ISS. “I actually was extremely impressed coming up here and seeing how much science is going on,” she said. “This place is ticking. It’s just really amazing. So I would say we’re actually in our prime right now. … I would think that right now is probably not the right time to say, quit, to call it quits.”
Wilmore and Williams remain on the ISS, awaiting their return, while the debate over their delayed homecoming continues.
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