Promise Fulfilled: White House Acknowledges Trump's Role in Astronauts' Safe Return
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Synopsis
The White House has credited US President Trump for fulfilling his promise to rescue NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who returned safely after a prolonged mission in space. Their spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Florida, marking the end of their extended stay aboard the ISS since June 2024.
Key Takeaways
- Trump's promise: The president vowed to rescue the astronauts after their lengthy stay.
- SpaceX's role: Elon Musk played a crucial part in their safe return.
- NASA's assurance: The agency confirmed the astronauts were safe throughout their ordeal.
- Political implications: The situation sparked political discussions regarding the Biden administration's actions.
- Successful splashdown: The astronauts returned safely to Earth after nine months in space.
Washington, March 19 (NationPress) The White House has announced that US President Donald Trump has honored his commitment to rescue NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who had been trapped in space for an extended period.
The two astronauts made their way back to Earth early Wednesday morning, with their spacecraft making a splashdown off the coast of Florida at 3:27 a.m. (Indian time).
Sharing a video of the thrilling moment on the social media platform X, the White House described it as: 'NASA astronauts splashdown to Earth after nine months stuck in space.'
“Promise made, promise kept: President Trump vowed to rescue the astronauts who were stranded in space for nine months. Today, they safely splashed down in the Gulf of America, thanks to Elon Musk, SpaceX, and NASA!” the post stated.
Williams and Wilmore originally launched aboard NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test on June 5 last year for what was intended to be an eight-day mission to the International Space Station.
However, on June 6, as their Starliner spacecraft neared the ISS, NASA and Boeing discovered helium leaks and issues with the spacecraft's reaction control thrusters.
This led to the Starliner returning to Earth without its crew, resulting in the astronauts remaining on the ISS much longer than planned.
By August, NASA chose to reassign the two astronauts to SpaceX's Crew-9 mission, where they joined NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.
After spending over nine months in space, the Crew-9 team finally returned to Earth on Wednesday.
The scenario took a political turn earlier this year when, on January 28, President Trump stated that he had directly requested SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to “go get” the two astronauts, accusing the Biden administration of effectively leaving them in space.
Musk later revealed details of the conversation on social media, mentioning that Trump had asked him to ensure the safe return of Williams and Wilmore, who had been aboard the ISS since June 2024.
Musk expressed his concerns, labeling the astronauts' extended stay in space as “terrible” and criticized the Biden administration for not acting sooner.
Despite the escalating controversy, NASA consistently reassured the public over the past nine months that the astronauts were never “stranded.” The agency repeatedly confirmed that Williams and Wilmore were safe and healthy during their prolonged stay aboard the ISS.
