NASA’s Starliner astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have repeatedly spoken out against being ‘stranded’ in space since they flew to the International Space Station on June 5 last year.
Doubling down on their stance, the pair broke their silence on President Donald Trump’s accusations against former President Joe Biden “abandoning” them.
Ahead of Valentine’s Day this February, the two astronauts again set the record straight, saying that they’re not stranded on the ISS. In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Thursday, they were asked about their position regarding Trump’s claims.
Shutting down the rhetoric going around, Butch Wilmore came right out and admitted that even though he and Williams acknowledged why the pervasive narrative was set in place, it just wasn’t their reality.
“That’s been the narrative from day one: stranded, abandoned, stuck — and I get it. We both get it,” he said. “But that is, again, not what our human spaceflight program is about. We don’t feel abandoned, we don’t feel stuck, we don’t feel stranded.”
In addition to clearing up the doubts about their space stay in many minds, Wilmore requested that they help them “change the rhetoric” to ‘prepared and committed.’