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Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore stayed on the International Space Station for nearly a year while NASA spent billions on other projects.
Two NASA astronauts have been stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for more than nine months. The reason? According to the agency itself, bringing the pair back earlier than planned would be too expensive.
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore arrived at the ISS on June 6, 2023, for a mission that was supposed to last just eight days. However, technical issues with Boeing's Starliner capsule prevented their safe return. NASA could have used a SpaceX capsule to bring them back sooner, but ruled that out. money saving option.
NASA chose to cut costs over rescuing astronauts
NASA Administrator Ken Bowersox revealed that SpaceX offered several solutions to bring astronauts back sooner. However, the agency decided not to spend any more resources.
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“We considered an extra mission or an early return of the capsule, but quickly ruled out those options based on the budget available,” Bowersox said.
That statement drew criticism, as NASA’s 2024 budget was around $30 billion. Now, a report has revealed that the agency spent millions of dollars on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) grants and contracts while astronauts were stuck in space.
Elon Musk claims Biden blocked bailout
Billionaire SpaceX owner Elon Musk said he offered to help bring the astronauts back. He said the Biden administration declined the offer because a successful rescue could “make Donald Trump look good” in the election against Kamala Harris.
In August 2023, NASA officially announced its decision to keep astronauts on the ISS. At the time, Bill Nelson, the agency's administrator, assured that "politics played no role in this decision."
The return home is scheduled
Now, after nine months of waiting, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are finally scheduled to return to Earth on March 16, 2024. They will travel aboard a SpaceX capsule, which has been docked with the ISS since September.
Before departure, The astronauts will spend two days training the new crew that arrived at the station. If all goes according to plan, they will land on Earth on Sunday.
