Donald Trump explains why Sunita Williams hasn’t been invited to the White House yet
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth on Tuesday after being stranded in space for nine months. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump stated that both astronauts would visit the White House, but only after they “get better.”
‘They have to recover first’
In an interview with Fox News, Trump was asked when the two astronauts would visit the Oval Office.
“They have to get better. When you are up there (in space), you have no pull in your muscles and gravity. You can lift a thousand pounds like this,” the president explained.
“They have to recover first. It will be a little tough for them. It’s not that easy. They were up there for a long time, and when they’re ready, they will come to the Oval Office,” he added.
Earlier in the day, the White House posted on X: “Promise made, promise kept: President Trump pledged to rescue the astronauts stranded in space for nine months. Today, they safely splashed down in the Gulf of America, thanks to @ElonMusk, @SpaceX, and @NASA!”
A long-awaited return home
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams finally returned to Earth on Wednesday after spending 286 days in space—278 days longer than originally planned.
By the time of splashdown, they had circled Earth 4,576 times and traveled a staggering 121 million miles (195 million kilometers).
Both astronauts were experienced with life in space, having previously lived aboard the orbiting lab. Before their launch, they brushed up on station operations. Williams took over as station commander three months into the mission and held the role until earlier this month, according to AP reports.
The future of space travel
NASA hired both SpaceX and Boeing as transport partners after the space shuttle program ended, ensuring the US had two competing companies to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS).
With the ISS set to be decommissioned by 2030, it will have been operational for more than three decades. The plan is to replace it with privately run space stations so NASA can shift its focus toward moon and Mars expeditions.