Trump’s comments appeared to turn a typically bipartisan space agency into a political cudgel. His calls for Elon Musk to pick up the astronauts also drew attention because SpaceX, founded by the Trump confidant, had already contracted in August to do so.

NASA astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore have been on the International Space Station since June, even though they initially expected to stay for just eight days. But now, NASA might bring the two astronauts home several weeks earlier than expected.

NASA astronaut Suni Williams was undertaking a repair on the ISS when she was photographed from Earth by an amateur astrophotographer