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.

In the vast expanse of space, orbiting our blue planet at a mind-boggling 17,500 miles per hour, Sunita Williams continues to push the boundaries of human