After spending over nine months on the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams have spoken publicly for the first time about their prolonged mission. In a joint interview with Fox News, they acknowledged that NASA, Boeing, and even themselves played a part in the unexpected duration of their spaceflight.

 

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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 31, 2025

Wilmore, who served as the commander of the crew flight test, admitted his own responsibility for not asking critical questions before their June 5 launch. "I'll admit that to the nation. There's things that I did not ask that I should have asked. I didn't know at the time that I needed to ask them," he said. "But in hindsight, the signals, some of the signals were there."

 

He also pointed to NASA and Boeing, stating that both entities bore responsibility for "shortcomings in tests and shortcomings in preparations" that were not identified before launch. "Everybody has a piece in this because it did not come off," Wilmore explained during the interview.

 

 

Wilmore made a surprising comment regarding former President Donald Trump’s claims that the Biden administration had "abandoned" them in space, stating he had "no reason not to believe anything they say because they've earned my trust." He expressed gratitude for national leaders actively supporting NASA’s human spaceflight program, which he described as a globally significant endeavor.

 

Originally, Wilmore and Williams were scheduled to spend only eight days on the ISS after launching aboard Boeing's Starliner. However, technical difficulties with the spacecraft extended their stay to more than nine months. By the time they returned to Earth on March 18, they had logged 288 days in space.

 

Reflecting on their extended mission, Williams recalled her initial reaction upon learning they would remain in space much longer than planned. "My first thought was we just gotta pivot," she said. "If this was the destiny, if our spacecraft was gonna go home based on decisions made [by NASA] and we were gonna be up there until February, I was like 'okay, let's make the best of it.' We were ready to just jump into it and take on the tasks that were given to us."

 

Wilmore, meanwhile, immediately thought of his family. "It's not about me," he said. "It's about what this human spaceflight program is about. It's our national goals. And did I think about not being there for my daughter's high school year? Of course. But compartmentalize. We've trained them to be resilient."

 

Despite speculation, both astronauts have been firm in denying that they ever felt abandoned. "Any of those adjectives, they're very broad in their definition," Wilmore stated. "So okay, in certain respects we were stuck, in certain respects maybe we were stranded, but based on how they were couching this — that we were left and forgotten and all that — we were nowhere near any of that at all. We didn't get to come home the way we planned. So in one definition, we're stuck. But in the big scheme of things, we weren't stuck. We were planned, trained."

 

When asked if Boeing had failed them, Williams did not assign blame, instead highlighting the complexity of the spacecraft. "I wouldn't really characterize it as that," she said. "The spacecraft is pretty complicated in the way they've integrated all the different types of systems together."

 

Wilmore echoed this sentiment, emphasizing Starliner's capabilities. "This is the most robust spacecraft we have in the inventory. There's nothing that can do everything that Starliner can do."

 

While Wilmore refrained from "pointing fingers," others have been quick to do so. Trump and his senior advisor, Elon Musk, alleged in February that the Biden administration intentionally delayed the astronauts' return for political reasons.

 

Last week, NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens credited the Trump administration with expediting their return, telling Fox News, "It would not have happened without President Trump's intervention." NASA's acting administrator Janet Petro also acknowledged the former president’s influence, stating, "Per President Trump's direction, NASA and SpaceX worked diligently to pull the schedule a month earlier. This international crew and our teams on the ground embraced the Trump Administration's challenge of an updated, and somewhat unique, mission plan, to bring our crew home."

 

The situation first gained political traction in January when Trump claimed he instructed Musk to "go get" the astronauts, alleging that the Biden administration had "virtually abandoned" them. In a joint interview with Musk in February, Trump reiterated this belief, saying, "They didn’t have the go-ahead with Biden. He was going to leave them in space. I think he was going to leave them in space. … He didn’t want the publicity. Can you believe it?"

 

NASA, however, has refuted claims that politics influenced their decision. During a press conference on March 4, officials cited safety, budget concerns, and the necessity of maintaining crew presence on the ISS as the primary reasons for the delayed return of Williams and Wilmore.

Now back on Earth, the Starliner astronauts continue to reflect on their mission and its challenges while reaffirming their trust in NASA’s long-term human spaceflight goals.

 

 

Based on a report by Daily Mail  2025-04-02

 

 

 

Only a matter of time before the pair of them file lawsuits against Nasa and Boeing. It's the American way. 

Glad they are back safe and they po pooed trump and elons lie.

They really watered that down.  Guess they don't want to be banned from the program.  NASA & Boeing screwed them big time.   And Biden, for not letting Musk bring them back before the election, thus giving him a thumbs up, and can't do that, since he was campaigning for Trump.

 

What an embarrassment, all around.  Biden, NASA & Boeing should be ashamed of themselves.  Not to mention the wasted millions on failed projects.

6 hours ago, Social Media said:

But in hindsight, the signals, some of the signals were there."

Yeah , it was a boeing craft. Should activate some alarm bells.

6 hours ago, Tug said:

Glad they are back safe and they po pooed trump and elons lie.

I did not read that into the OP at all... You are trying to make it so, but in reality they did not say that Trump and Musk lied. As i read it and listened. They actually stated they believe Trump and Musk do not lie and trust them 100%. So you are just twisting words again to make your quirk against Trump true. 

Well, this won't make a movie...

9 hours ago, Tug said:

Glad they are back safe and they po pooed trump and elons lie.

Perhaps you missed this bit

 

10 hours ago, Social Media said:

Last week, NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens credited the Trump administration with expediting their return, telling Fox News, "It would not have happened without President Trump's intervention."

 

1 hour ago, johng said:

Perhaps you missed this bit

 

 

And you probably missed this one.

 

Fox News Fails to Get Stranded Astronauts to Blame Biden for Failed Mission

9 minutes ago, BLMFem said:

And you probably missed this one.

 

Fox News Fails to Get Stranded Astronauts to Blame Biden for Failed Mission

The headlines don’t match the article.  You were duped. .  

11 hours ago, Tug said:

Glad they are back safe and they po pooed trump and elons lie.

Probably scared they'll end up dead,  like the last to speak out against Boeing 

10 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

Probably scared they'll end up dead,  like the last to speak out against Boeing 

You think they'd fly out of windows, like Putin's enemies?

Just now, BLMFem said:

You think they'd fly out of windows, like Putin's enemies?

 

I wonder what would happen if they had asked the Russians who are on the space station too remember  ? or the Chinese who have their own space station too remember ?  for a lift home   would they  have been refused ???

15 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

Probably scared they'll end up dead,  like the last to speak out against Boeing 

 

Ahh yes  just before going to trial  he committed "suicide"

16 minutes ago, BLMFem said:

You think they'd fly out of windows, like Putin's enemies?

Or perhaps be collateral damage like when putin blew that airliner out of the sky to kill 1 guy?oh wait I forgot trump (TRUSTS) putin…….un freaking believable!!

27 minutes ago, johng said:

 

Ahh yes  just before going to trial  he committed "suicide"

Wasnt there 2 of them, both clinto... I mean committed suicide

35 minutes ago, BLMFem said:

You think they'd fly out of windows, like Putin's enemies?

Wasn't of The Head of RT? Doesn't make sense for old Vlad to off his chief propagandist would it. But CNN is in the know

12 hours ago, Social Media said:

NASA's acting administrator Janet Petro also acknowledged the former president’s influence

Is that the AN AI that calls Trump a "former president"? I've seen it in other articles on here too... Perhaps the AN staff should correction read before publishing.

Just now, frank83628 said:

Wasn't of The Head of RT? Doesn't make sense for old Vlad to off his chief propagandist would it. But CNN is in the know

Don't know. I've honestly lost count of all the people Putin didn't like who took a dive out of a window. As a local why do you think that Russian windows are so dangerous?

19 minutes ago, SpaceKadet said:

Is that the AN AI that calls Trump a "former president"? I've seen it in other articles on here too... Perhaps the AN staff should correction read before publishing.

 

Based on a report by Daily Mail  2025-04-02

 

It is what happens when you take an article from another source, then let AI rape it.

25 minutes ago, SpaceKadet said:

Is that the AN AI that calls Trump a "former president"? I've seen it in other articles on here too... Perhaps the AN staff should correction read before publishing.

I've just opened my best bottle of champagne, but late instead of former, would have read even better.

35 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

Wasnt there 2 of them, both clinto... I mean committed suicide

 

Could well have been.

35 minutes ago, SpaceKadet said:

Is that the AN AI that calls Trump a "former president"?

 

I have pointed this out on numerous threads/articles.

Both these people have class. That's a characteristic that is sorely lacking in most human interactions nowadays where political one-upsmanship and the blame-game takes the driver seat to what is best for humanity and society as a whole. Kudos to them both.

13 hours ago, Social Media said:

"The spacecraft is pretty complicated in the way they've integrated all the different types of systems together."

 

"Complicated" in a tornado passing through a junkyard sort of way?

1 hour ago, Tug said:

Or perhaps be collateral damage like when putin blew that airliner out of the sky to kill 1 guy?oh wait I forgot trump (TRUSTS) putin…….un freaking believable!!

Which guy was that Mr conspiracy theory?

13 hours ago, Tug said:

Glad they are back safe and they po pooed trump and elons lie.

How did they get back safe by the way??....haven't really seen much about it in the media... why could that be.... humm

1 hour ago, BLMFem said:

Don't know. I've honestly lost count of all the people Putin didn't like who took a dive out of a window. As a local why do you think that Russian windows are so dangerous?

They're not, the TV screens that feed you the deranged BS are, but you're oblivious

2 hours ago, BLMFem said:

And you probably missed this one.

 

Fox News Fails to Get Stranded Astronauts to Blame Biden for Failed Mission

 

Yahoo lies, it's what they do

14 hours ago, Social Media said:

 

After spending over nine months on the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams have spoken publicly for the first time about their prolonged mission. In a joint interview with Fox News, they acknowledged that NASA, Boeing, and even themselves played a part in the unexpected duration of their spaceflight.

 

Wilmore, who served as the commander of the crew flight test, admitted his own responsibility for not asking critical questions before their June 5 launch. "I'll admit that to the nation. There's things that I did not ask that I should have asked. I didn't know at the time that I needed to ask them," he said. "But in hindsight, the signals, some of the signals were there."

 

He also pointed to NASA and Boeing, stating that both entities bore responsibility for "shortcomings in tests and shortcomings in preparations" that were not identified before launch. "Everybody has a piece in this because it did not come off," Wilmore explained during the interview.

 

 

Wilmore made a surprising comment regarding former President Donald Trump’s claims that the Biden administration had "abandoned" them in space, stating he had "no reason not to believe anything they say because they've earned my trust." He expressed gratitude for national leaders actively supporting NASA’s human spaceflight program, which he described as a globally significant endeavor.

 

Originally, Wilmore and Williams were scheduled to spend only eight days on the ISS after launching aboard Boeing's Starliner. However, technical difficulties with the spacecraft extended their stay to more than nine months. By the time they returned to Earth on March 18, they had logged 288 days in space.

 

Reflecting on their extended mission, Williams recalled her initial reaction upon learning they would remain in space much longer than planned. "My first thought was we just gotta pivot," she said. "If this was the destiny, if our spacecraft was gonna go home based on decisions made [by NASA] and we were gonna be up there until February, I was like 'okay, let's make the best of it.' We were ready to just jump into it and take on the tasks that were given to us."

 

Wilmore, meanwhile, immediately thought of his family. "It's not about me," he said. "It's about what this human spaceflight program is about. It's our national goals. And did I think about not being there for my daughter's high school year? Of course. But compartmentalize. We've trained them to be resilient."

 

Despite speculation, both astronauts have been firm in denying that they ever felt abandoned. "Any of those adjectives, they're very broad in their definition," Wilmore stated. "So okay, in certain respects we were stuck, in certain respects maybe we were stranded, but based on how they were couching this — that we were left and forgotten and all that — we were nowhere near any of that at all. We didn't get to come home the way we planned. So in one definition, we're stuck. But in the big scheme of things, we weren't stuck. We were planned, trained."

 

When asked if Boeing had failed them, Williams did not assign blame, instead highlighting the complexity of the spacecraft. "I wouldn't really characterize it as that," she said. "The spacecraft is pretty complicated in the way they've integrated all the different types of systems together."

 

Wilmore echoed this sentiment, emphasizing Starliner's capabilities. "This is the most robust spacecraft we have in the inventory. There's nothing that can do everything that Starliner can do."

 

While Wilmore refrained from "pointing fingers," others have been quick to do so. Trump and his senior advisor, Elon Musk, alleged in February that the Biden administration intentionally delayed the astronauts' return for political reasons.

 

Last week, NASA spokeswoman Bethany Stevens credited the Trump administration with expediting their return, telling Fox News, "It would not have happened without President Trump's intervention." NASA's acting administrator Janet Petro also acknowledged the former president’s influence, stating, "Per President Trump's direction, NASA and SpaceX worked diligently to pull the schedule a month earlier. This international crew and our teams on the ground embraced the Trump Administration's challenge of an updated, and somewhat unique, mission plan, to bring our crew home."

 

The situation first gained political traction in January when Trump claimed he instructed Musk to "go get" the astronauts, alleging that the Biden administration had "virtually abandoned" them. In a joint interview with Musk in February, Trump reiterated this belief, saying, "They didn’t have the go-ahead with Biden. He was going to leave them in space. I think he was going to leave them in space. … He didn’t want the publicity. Can you believe it?"

 

NASA, however, has refuted claims that politics influenced their decision. During a press conference on March 4, officials cited safety, budget concerns, and the necessity of maintaining crew presence on the ISS as the primary reasons for the delayed return of Williams and Wilmore.

Now back on Earth, the Starliner astronauts continue to reflect on their mission and its challenges while reaffirming their trust in NASA’s long-term human spaceflight goals.

 

 

Based on a report by Daily Mail  2025-04-02

 

 

 

Not a single word of thanks or gratitude to Elon Musk or space X for actually rescuing them when NASA failed to do it. Its got hardly any coverage in the media since either.. just bitterness and hate....