Elon Musk on Sunday reacted to a video showing long stranded Nasa astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore expressing their gratitude towards US president Donald Trump and him. The clip, originally posted by the Daily Mail on March 6, has since gone viral.
In the video, Williams reassured viewers about their return, saying, “We are coming back before long, so don’t make all those plans without me. You know, we will be back before too long.”
Musk responded to the post with heart and rocket emojis, the reaction which has garnered over 4.6 million views over the platform.
Butch Wilmore, meanwhile, expressed respect for Musk and US President Donald Trump, saying, “All of us have the utmost respect for Mr Musk and honestly, respect and admiration for our president of the United States, Donald Trump. We appreciate them, we appreciate all they do for us, for human spaceflight, for our nation, and we are thankful that they are in the positions they are in.”
The video comes as Nasa’s two stranded astronauts finally prepare to return to Earth after spending over nine months in orbit. The SpaceX crew capsule successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, bringing four new astronauts from the United States, Japan, and Russia to replace Wilmore and Williams.
The incoming crew will spend the next few days familiarising themselves with the station under the guidance of the outgoing astronauts.
With their replacements now aboard, Wilmore and Williams are set to return home alongside two other astronauts aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. If weather conditions permit, the capsule is expected to undock no earlier than Wednesday, followed by a splashdown landing off the coast of Florida.