Former astronaut "challenges" Elon Musk to travel to space to clarify the accusation he made about his colleagues

After Elon Musk  made a comment regarding the "extended" stay of two astronauts inside the International Space Station (ISS), former astronaut Mark Kelly responded angrily to the businessman, "challenging" him to get on a "rocket" and gain the necessary "experience" to speak on the subject.

During a recent interview with Fox News, alongside Donald Trump, Musk was questioned about his supposed involvement in the "rescue" of two astronauts from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore. In response, the South African mentioned that both professionals were "stranded" in space due to their alignment with the political agenda of former President Joe Biden.

Just hours after Musk's accusation, the space community immediately responded with various reactions flooding what the owner of Tesla had said. One of them was astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who stated that Musk's comment was a "lie": "What a lie. And someone complains about the lack of honesty in traditional media," reads the astronaut's post.

Similarly, he revealed that the return of Williams and Wilmore was planned since September and had no relation to partisan policies.

Elon Musk vs NASA 

Following Mogensen's response, Musk did not hesitate to attack the astronaut through various negative comments, even suggesting that his company, SpaceX, could have brought the astronauts back earlier than scheduled.

In response to Musk's attacks on Mogensen, Scott Kelly, former astronaut and brother of Mark Kelly, also joined the conversation in support of his colleague: "He is one of the most competent, reliable, and honest people I have met. This rhetoric is unacceptable, but unfortunately, not surprising. He does not deserve this lack of respect," wrote Kelly.

Subsequently, ignoring messages from various personalities in the space industry, Musk used his X account to state that the ISS should disappear because its time had been "fulfilled" and it was necessary to "make way" for the colonization of Mars.

Musk's comments also prompted a reaction from former astronaut Mark Kelly, who did not hesitate to defend his colleagues by challenging the businessman to get on a "rocket" and resolve this conflict: "Hey Elon Musk, when you finally have the courage to get on a rocket, come talk to the three of us," Kelly posted.

This is not the first time Musk and members of NASA and other space agencies have clashed. Previously, he has publicly expressed his "annoyance" with the agency in an effort to boost his own company, SpaceX.

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence