Stranded in Space No More
Astronauts Come Home to a Much Different Earth
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Whitmore are home.
Stranded by Boeing, rescued by Elon Musk’s Space X, they were supposed to be on the International Space Station for eight days. Instead, it was nine months.
Word is President Biden refused permission for Space X to rescue them — if you imagined political motives, you are not alone. President Trump asked Elon Musk to plan a rescue and Tuesday night the Dragon space capsule splashed down in the Gulf of America, prompting the White House to post, “Promise Made, Promise Kept.”
As I wrote last August, the incident divided the two political parties in yet another contrast — one all in for symbolism, the other for initiative. Boeing’s problems — its embrace of DEI hires at the expense of meritocracy — are still plaguing the company.
There are many remarkable things about the return to earth of Sunita Williams and Barry Whitmore. Elon Musk is not only the richest man on the planet, but also the most inventive. His Space X, founded in 2002 has already made advancements in rocket propulsion, reusable launch vehicles, human spaceflight and satellite constellation technology. It is now the world's dominant space launch provider, surpassing NASA, which had a 44-year head-start.
It is tempting to think of Elon Musk as our Isaac Newton, or our Benjamin Franklin, or even our Albert Einstein. He founded Space X because he wants to land humans on Mars. He believes in a multiplanetary world to assure long-term survival of the human race should some catastrophe befall the Earth. Thinking big doesn’t begin to cover it. It also takes money — one estimate pegs the cost at $200 million.
But what occurred to me as I watched the two of them disembark — along with the two others who had been on the ISS with them — is that they have returned to an entirely different planet than the one they departed 286 days ago, on June 5, 2024.
Then, President Biden was still running for re-election, though three weeks later, he suffered a shaky debate performance against Trump. In July, Donald Trump was campaigning in Butler, PA when a would-be assassin just missed killing him.
Now, after a landslide electoral victory in November, he is back in the White House, promoting world peace and an end to men in women’s sports. Resistance is considerable — Maine is fighting him on transgenders — but so is imitation. Populists the world over flock to the White House, hoping to emulate his success.
Then, social media companies were all in on censorship of political speech. Now, Elon Musk’s X has rescued the First Amendment. Then, China was striving to become the world’s only superpower. They still are, but now Trump is taking steps to make America a manufacturing power again, to insure that China does not own our meds.
At the Homeland Security Department, a man named Tom Homan is spearheading an effort to deport the illegal migrants — starting with the criminals and gang members who raped and murdered Americans — let in by the millions on Biden’s watch. And at the State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is doing the same with terrorists like the Hamas-agitator who stirred Jew hatred at Columbia U.
Speaking of hatred, left-wing protestors are lighting Tesla cars on fire, or defacing them with Nazi swastikas, or firebombing Tesla dealerships. All this because Elon Musk, while not busy bringing you back to earth, is uncovering some $1 trillion in government waste with a team of tech geniuses under a new DOGE agency.
The Democrats are demonstrating against cuts in federal spending. Their Trump Derangement Syndrome seems to be fatal — the party’s popularity has sunk to single digits. No one watches mainstream media anymore, and they are shedding viewers, advertisers, and staff. Instead, podcasts are all the rage, an avenue for anyone with a mic and something to say to join the mediasphere.
The Gulf of Mexico is now called the Gulf of America.
Oh, and Karoline Leavitt is the new White House press secretary. She delivers verbal parries to insulting, snarky journalists with a gorgeous smile. Really, It’s almost as beautiful as the view from outer space.
Welcome home.