Elon Musk's Space Puzzle: Why He Said Trump Wants Astronauts Home

SpaceX founder Elon Musk made a strange announcement on his social media platform X on Tuesday. He claimed that President Trump asked SpaceX to bring home two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station. The statement was unusual and caused confusion for NASA. One possible explanation is that Musk was just having some fun, or "trolling, " as a space policy expert put it. The tweet was posted at 4:20 PM Central Time, which could be a nod to the famous "420" reference. Even if it was a joke, NASA isn't pleased. The astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, aren't actually stranded. They flew to the space station on Boeing's Starliner vehicle but had to return without them due to technical issues. Since then, SpaceX's Crew-9 mission arrived with empty seats, providing a safe ride home. It's important to remember that while space travel has its risks, NASA works hard to ensure astronauts' safety and return.