After spending nearly ten grueling months in space, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore is finally home—but the frustration his family endured back on Earth is now boiling over.
His daughter, 19-year-old Daryn Wilmore, took to TikTok earlier this year to express her anger and disappointment over NASA’s handling of her father’s delayed return, suggesting that “politics” and “negligence” were behind the repeated setbacks. Her posts, originally shared in January and February, have resurfaced this week as her father and fellow astronaut Suni Williams completed their unexpected 286-day odyssey aboard the International Space Station.
The mission—originally scheduled to last just over eight days—turned into a 286-day saga due to a cascade of technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, coupled with what many now allege was bureaucratic paralysis on the ground.
“There’s just been issue after issue after issue,” Daryn told the Daily Mail after her father’s return. “There’s been negligence. And that’s the reason why this has just kept getting delayed.”
Though she softened her tone in the interview, acknowledging that NASA made the safest call available, her earlier social media comments didn’t hold back: she squarely placed blame on NASA’s internal dysfunction and political interference.
Her criticism echoes concerns from insiders who believe the Biden administration was hesitant to authorize an earlier rescue, fearing the optics of a botched mission. So instead of risking a PR disaster, they chose to leave two astronauts stranded in orbit for nearly ten months.
That’s not a “win.” That’s unthinkable.
When Wilmore and Williams finally splashed down safely off the coast of Florida on Tuesday aboard SpaceX’s Dragon Freedom capsule, Mission Control’s voice came through: “Butch, Suni, on behalf of SpaceX, welcome home.”
NASA praised the astronauts for their patience and professionalism, noting that they conducted more than 150 scientific experiments during their stay. But even the best science doesn’t erase the fact that two American heroes were left in space far beyond their mission window—while D.C. dragged its feet.
Daryn’s honest, if painful, remarks offer a rare glimpse into the personal toll of government dysfunction. Her father may be home, but trust in the system that left him there is still very much in orbit.
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