Musk calls former ISS commander ‘idiot’ in heated exchange over astronauts
Global News
Musk blew up at the Danish astronaut, calling him a derogatory slur after the former ISS commander said his claims were false.
Elon Musk has been using his social media platform, X, to trade barbs with a European Space Agency astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station (ISS) after the astronaut took exception to Musk’s claims that former U.S. President Joe Biden left two Americans abandoned on the ISS on purpose.
The spat started on X Thursday and continued into Friday, with several other astronauts joining the fray after Danish astronaut Andreas “Andy” Mogensen called out Musk for peddling an unsubstantiated claim in a Fox News television interview on Tuesday.
When asked about astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, whose eight-day test flight on Boeing’s Starliner aircraft turned into an eight-month stay aboard the ISS after the Starliner ran into problems, Musk insinuated to Fox that the Biden administration left them in space longer than necessary.
“They were left up there for political reasons,” Musk, who owns SpaceX, said.
Mogensen, taking issue with the billionaire’s claim, posted: “What a lie. And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media.”
Things quickly turned ugly, with Musk exploding into rage and called Mogensen an “idiot” and a derogatory slur.
“SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago,” Musk wrote. “I OFFERED THIS DIRECTLY to the Biden administration and they refused. Return WAS pushed back for political reasons. Idiot.”
Musk did not elaborate on his alleged offer.
