Rescued astronauts discuss who is at fault for their abandonment in space
In this DML Report…
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore returned to Earth on March 18, 2025, after a 286-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS), far exceeding their planned eight-day trip launched June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s Starliner. Technical issues, including thruster failures and helium leaks, forced NASA to deem Starliner unsafe for their return, leaving them on the ISS until SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon capsule brought them back, splashing down off Florida’s coast with astronauts Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov. In a March 31 Fox News interview, Wilmore admitted he missed key pre-launch questions about Starliner’s readiness, while both he and Williams acknowledged shortcomings in NASA and Boeing’s testing and prep, contributing to the delay.
The mission sparked political friction, with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk claiming in February 2025 that the Biden administration abandoned the pair for political reasons, a narrative NASA denied. Trump, on January 28, directed Musk to “go get” them, and NASA adjusted the Crew-9 return schedule from late March to March 18, a move Acting Administrator Janet Petro credited to Trump’s push, though a March 4 press conference cited safety, budget, and ISS staffing as the real drivers. Wilmore, in the Fox interview, said he trusted Trump and Musk’s claims—calling their involvement “refreshing” and “empowering”—while NASA maintained politics played no role, emphasizing operational priorities over external pressure.
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Williams and Wilmore, back on Earth for nearly two weeks, detailed their ordeal: Williams pivoted to make the best of the extended stay, and both embraced new tasks despite the setback. NASA’s Bethany Stevens hailed the return as a Trump administration win, though the agency’s earlier stance leaned on SpaceX’s reliability—Wilmore praised Starliner’s unique capabilities but didn’t fault specific parties. The astronauts’ safe return ended a saga that exposed Boeing’s technical woes and fueled a debate over political influence, with facts pointing to a mix of mechanical failure and logistical decisions, not abandonment, as the core issue.