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NASA astronauts Barry 'Butch' Wilmore, who was 'stranded' in space with Sunita Williams for nine months, has spoken about Elon Musk and Donald Trump's influence during the pair's first interview since returning.
Wilmore and Williams were only supposed to be on a week-long mission when they were launched into space on 5 June 2024 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
However, when they docked on the International Space Station (ISS) on 6 June, Starliner's thruster malfunctioned, and NASA said the technical issue made it unsafe for the astronauts to return on their planned date.
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On 7 March, President Trump promised to bring them back to Earth with the help of his SpaceX sidekick Musk, with the pair departing the ISS and safely splashing down off the coast of Florida on 8 March.
In their first interview, Wilmore told Fox News’ America’s Newsroom that he is grateful for Musk and Trump's involvement in getting them back down.
"I have no reason not to believe anything they say, because they've earned my trust," he said. "And for that, I am grateful that our national leaders actually are coming in and taking part in our human space flight program, which we see is hugely important global significance, and they take an active role.
"And based on the past and what we see now with them doing that it's not just refreshing, it's empowering. It's strengthening."
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“It’s not about me, it’s not about my feelings,” he added. “It’s about what this human space flight program is about. It’s our national goals.
“I have to wrap myself, my mind, around ‘what does our nation need out of me right now?’
“Did I think about not being there for my daughter’s high school year, of course… certainly, deal with the personal side of it, but I can’t let that interfere with what I’m called to do.”
Williams, 59, also said that the pair had to adjust to their new circumstances very quickly.
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“My first thought was, we just got to pivot, right?” she said. “I was like, ‘OK, let’s make the best of it.’ We planned, we trained that we’d be there for some part of a time, so we were ready to just jump into it and take on the tasks that were given to us.”
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