Biden jokes about rescuing astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from space
At the APEC summit in Peru, President Joe Biden cracked a joke about being sent to space to rescue astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded aboard the International Space Station.
Originally scheduled for an eight-day mission with Boeing’s Starliner, the veteran NASA astronauts have been stuck in space for nearly seven months due to an issue with the capsule, which made a trip back without them. They are expected to remain in space until February, when Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon will finally bring them home.
Joe Biden cracks about bringing NASA astronauts back
Speaking with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, Biden made the comment after spotting NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in the crowd, humorously referencing how his wife might send him to space when he misbehaves. “Every time my wife thinks I’m getting out of hand, she says, ‘I’m going to call [Nelson] and have him send you to space,” the retiring president said during the economic conference, according to NY Post. “And I’m a little concerned he may want to send me to space because we got to get some folks back home!”
Boluarte responded with a polite chuckle to Biden’s lighthearted comment. In his brief remarks, Biden also acknowledged Peru for signing the US-led Artemis Accords on space exploration standards and “for securing a research rocket agreement with the United States.” Biden’s trip to South America is just a day after he spoke with Trump at the White House. They talked about the troubles in Gaza, Lebanon, and Ukraine.
ISS leaking sparks clash between Russia and the US
Biden’s quip about the stranded astronauts came on the heels of a report highlighting worsening issues with the leaking International Space Station (ISS), which has fueled tensions between the U.S. and Russia’s Roscosmos space agency. Both agencies have struggled to reach a consensus on the matter. According to CNN, former NASA astronaut Bob Cabana revealed that “the U.S. space agency has raised concerns about the structural integrity of the leaking module and the potential for a catastrophic failure.”
However, the Russian team disagrees, with Cabana noting that they do not believe such a catastrophic disintegration is likely. “The Russian team continues to search for and seal the leaks, it does not believe catastrophic disintegration of the PrK is realistic,” Cabana added.
The leak that was first detected in 2019 originates from a section controlled by Russia and has resulted in air escaping at a rate of 1.7 kilograms per day, according to the reports.