Musk, Trump Spread False Claims on NASA Astronauts' Status

In a recent Fox News interview, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk reiterated unfounded claims that NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) due to political reasons, specifically blaming the Biden administration for delaying their return. Both Musk and Trump inaccurately suggested that NASA's decision-making was politically motivated, asserting that the astronauts were 'abandoned' and would have been left in space without their intervention. However, NASA has maintained that the astronauts' extended stay was due to technical issues with their spacecraft, and the agency had a planned return that involved SpaceX's Crew-9 mission. The astronauts themselves have denied feeling stranded, affirming that they are scheduled to return soon as part of the established timeline. The public statements by Trump and Musk lack supporting evidence, contradicting NASA's communications regarding the astronauts' situation. This narrative has been criticized by both the astronauts and other space experts as misleading and inaccurate.