Astronauts give their own account- not abandoned by Biden administration

https://www.newsweek.com/astronauts-stuck-space-refute-trump-claim-iss-2031187

28 comments

  1. That’s because they’re scientists, not social media drama influencers.

  2. >The astronauts who had to stay for a prolonged mission aboard the International Space Station after their return vessel failed safety checks have disputed President Donald Trump’s claims that they were “abandoned” by the Biden administration.

    >Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore said they felt prepared and committed and wanted to change the rhetoric around their stay on the ISS.

    >Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.

    >Why It Matters

    >Williams and Wilmore’s mission to the International Space Station in June 2024 was originally planned to last only a few days but will now be over eight months after a series of technical failures, including thruster malfunctions and a helium leak, with the Boeing Starliner crew capsule that took them to space. Since then, Trump has claimed that former President Joe Biden “abandoned” the astronauts in space.

    >What To Know

    >Trump has repeatedly said that Williams and Wilmore were “abandoned” by the Biden administration, saying in January that he was tasking Elon Musk with organizing a return journey with a SpaceX vehicle.

    >However, in a Friday interview with CNN, the two astronauts said they did not feel abandoned and wanted people to stop considering them as stranded on the ISS.

    >”We don’t feel abandoned, we don’t feel stuck, we don’t feel stranded,” Wilmore told CNN. ” I understand why others may think that, but we come prepared. We come committed.

    >”That is what the human space flight program is; it prepares for any and all contingencies that we can conceive of, and we prepare for those.

    >”So if you’ll help us change the rhetoric, help us change the narrative…let’s change it to ‘prepared and committed’ rather than what you’ve been hearing.”

    >Williams and Wilmore’s return journey is currently scheduled for March. NASA has been planning the return for several months, with frequent updates being published during the Biden administration.

    >What People Are Saying

    >**Donald Trump on Truth Social in January:** “I have just asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to ‘go get’ the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. Good luck Elon!!!”

    >**Elon Musk on X, formerly Twitter:** “The POTUS has asked SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the Space Station as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”

    >What Happens Next

    >Williams and Wilmore’s return journey is scheduled for March this year, having been delayed from February.

    Edit: formatting

  3. So US tax payers are paying Elmo how many hundreds of millions to go get them? How much is Elmo’s ransom ask?

  4. Could you imagine how horrifying it would be thinking your ride home from space is in the care of president musk and trump. oh. my. god. one one hand it’s probably the safest place for a human right now lol. great job, earthlings.

  7. At least some of us weren’t abandoned by the Biden administration…

  10. Ngl I’m expecting trump to issue an executive order any day now that they’re fired so nobody needs to get em

  11. They should’ve waited until they were back on earth to say that. I’d bet that the “rescue mission” will have a few set backs in a couple of weeks.

  14. If I were them, I think I’d say “guys, we’re OK. Honestly. Take all the time you need. Seriously. Allllllll the time you need. Really, just take all the time, we’re good up here…”

  15. The whole point of the mission was to test a prototype. Such a mission is by its very definition dangerous.

    Returning Starliner autonomously without the astronauts was just a prime example of the gutlessness which is going to kill off NASA.

    Insisting on absolute safety for test missions is how real missions will never happen, and there is no better way to erode public support than that.

  17. Those Astronauts should only share their story with the AP. Someone’s head would explode.

  18. Trump will ignore with blame Biden and Musk will kill them by stonewalling rescue aside blaming democrats aren’t they?

  19. NASA has astronauts doing pr so they don’t all lose their jobs to tony stark looking for their contracts

  20. Now that they’ve disputed trump and Elon’s narrative, you can bet they’ll be ousted soon.

  21. Doesn’t matter, fox news will say Biden admin stranded them, never play the astronauts side, and just under half the country will parrot that Biden admin left them.

    It LITERALLY does not matter anymore. Trump admin couldn’t care less except to use them for political fodder.

  22. I am so tired of articles like this. They literally keep repeating the words “abandoned by the Biden administration” and are surprised when Trump’s narrative wins. Democrats are incapable of constructing a counter narrative.

  23. Fuck trump cunts,
    Fuck trump cunts,
    Fuck trump cunts.

  24. How long was using an old rocket and capsule an option??

  26. In ~~before~~ after Trump and his followers try to take credit for this

  27. How many times do we have to suffer this same dynamic: Trump politicizes an institution that works well enough cuz it’s not political. Then said institution has to come out and defend itself against politics. Then Trump sees that as disloyal. And it never ends well for the good guys. The good guys don’t win anymore.

  28. Anything to keep the loser left clawing for relevancy. You guys lost. And it was a bad. You lost every single swing state and the popular vote.

    Even better, you now double down on crazy and will continue to lose for decades to come.

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