NASA defends decisions about astronauts, never were ‘stranded’
After the safe return Tuesday of two astronauts left behind for months on the International Space Station, the White House characterized the pair as “stranded” and trumpeted their return as a “rescue.” Those are words that NASA has been resisting for months.
It made for an awkward situation in a post-splashdown press conference, when NASA administrators insisted they could have brought Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams home at any time, while also seeking not to contradict the president.
The two returned as part of SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, having been on board the station since June after flying up on Boeing’s Starliner.
“PROMISE MADE, PROMISE KEPT: President Trump pledged to rescue the astronauts stranded in space for nine months,” was the message posted to the White House X account after the landing.
But NASA officials, though parsing their words carefully, stuck to a different narrative.
“We always had a lifeboat, a way for them to come home,” NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich said.