Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore make stunning admission on ISS stay, reveal whether they were ‘abandoned’ or ‘stuck’
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore appeared for their first interview after landing to Earth from space.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore appeared for their first interview after landing to Earth from space. The duo discussed their hectic journey following their 286 days stay on the ISS owing to a problem with Boeing's spaceship.
Billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX capsules brought back Williams and Wilmore on Earth.
As the expedition was scheduled to last for just eight days, the two were questioned who was responsible for its failure. Wilmore blamed everyone, including himself. The duo, however, retaliated against claims that Boeing “failed” them.
Are Nasa, Boeing at fault? Here's what astronauts said
In their first public interview with America's Newsroom on Fox News, Wilmore said, “There are many questions that as the commander of CFT (Crew Flight Test), I didn't ask, so I'm culpable, I'll admit that to the nation.”
He went on to say that he should have asked some questions, but he didn't. According to him, he was unaware that he needed to ask few questions. “But in hindsight, the signals, some of the signals were there.”
Commenting on whether NASA and Boeing are at fault, he said, “Everybody has a piece in this because it did not come off.”
There were various test-related and preparation-related issues that they were unaware of.
The two also discussed claims that they were “abandoned” or “stuck” in space.
“Okay, in certain respects, we were stuck. In certain respects, maybe we were stranded,” he remarked, adding that they did not arrive on the Earth as per the plan.
The astronaut quickly mentioned that they weren't stuck in the grand scheme of things because they were “prepared and trained.”
Will Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore go back into space again?
The pair declared they would love to return to space in spite of the problems. They further acknowledged that there were difficult moments, like the time Wilmore had to skip his daughter's graduation.
He even admitted to shedding a tear while speaking to his wife and daughters from the space.
The astronauts expressed gratitude to Musk and President Donald Trump for helping to ensure their safe return.
“Our situation, I think I mentioned before, maybe wasn't the perfect situation, but allowed a lot of people, including the President and Elon, to look at what's going on on the International Space Station, take it very seriously and understand that our involvement as a country, as a space-faring nation, is really important throughout the world.”
