The amazing return of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams earlier this week was a feel-good story that the United States of America should celebrate and be thankful for. 

My generation and those after it have become way too accustomed to men and women flying into space and returning practically on the schedule that has been laid out by NASA. We are truly spoiled by the amazing events that happened before us, and treat it as an everyday common event when it isn't.

We do have the marvel of the International Space Station flying around the Earth 24/7, 365 days a year but when do you look up and think about that? I have before and after 5 minutes of seeing the station pass over, I go about my daily life after daydreaming for a minute. I move back on to the regular activity and daily grind of being on Earth and not appreciating it as much as I should. 

I was not yet born in 1967 when the tragedy of the Apollo 1 mission happened; NASA astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were killed during a training mission for the Apollo project that would eventually land human beings on the moon.

I was in high school in 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger blew up moments after the launch and was at my job early in the morning, when I heard that space shuttle Columbia had disintegrated upon reentry. Those were both tragic events that caused me and most people in the nation to once again recognize that space travel is something to be marveled at--even though we treat it like just hopping on a bike to the store to get some milk.

We live in a truly remarkable time, when we can send people anywhere around the world and into space, overlooking the entire globe.

So, when Joe Rogan did his latest interview with Elon Musk in February and asked if Space X was going to still send a Dragon capsule to the ISS to bring home Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, Musk answered that they were. Rogan asked why did it take so long, and Elon was straight to the point. He said that Space X had offered to send up a capsule, and the Biden administration refused to green light that project.

Makes you wonder why Joe's autopen did not approve that mission.

This story was confirmed earlier in March by Butch Wilmore, who agreed with Musk's assertion of why there was a delay in them getting home. Lost in Space: Stranded Astronaut Confirms Musk Claim That Biden Rejected Help for Political Reasons

From that post:

On Tuesday, one of the astronauts said that Musk’s accusation was absolutely true:

One of the NASA astronauts trapped on the International Space Station said he believes Elon Musk’s claim that the Biden administration rejected the SpaceX CEO’s offer to help bring the team home.

Barry “Butch” Wilmore made the comment Tuesday during an in-orbit press conference with fellow castaway Sunita Williams nine months after their Boeing Starliner capsule malfunctioned and left the pair stuck on the ISS.

One questioner asked about Musk’s recent claim that former President Joe Biden had intentionally stalled their rescue for “political reasons.”

In an earlier question, Wilmore denied that politics had anything to do with the team’s delayed departure, but he seemed to shift his stance when answering the later question.

“I can only say that Mr. Musk, what he says, is absolutely factual … I believe him,” he said.

So, I lay this out not only to set the table, but to ask a question that I think constantly needs to be asked of anybody who serves in an elected position and who claims to embrace common sense.

Do you actually care about the country?

We have all seen the campaign ads or the clips on your favorite network or the highly produced TikTok videos, which have someone who has been elected or is seeking reelection looking sympathetic and acting as if they care about whatever is being talked about.

After watching those, I always wonder: Does that person care about that issue and about leaving the country a little bit better off than how they found it?

Democrat Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona is a bit of a unique creature as an elected official in Washington D.C. The reason why is this: He is not only married to a former Congressional member who thankfully survived an assassination attempt, but he also was a NASA astronaut who has been to space several times on the space shuttles and has spent time up at the International Space Station.

He understands the major risk and danger that goes into traveling into outer space, and that those of us who keep our feet firmly planted on the ground will never experience that thrill and immense risk. 

He has also experienced what ill-guided hatred can do when directed at an everyday citizen or elected politician (his wife), and the grace and mercy that normal people can exhibit when a job is well done. There is also the common decency that is shown after or during a tragedy.

Sen. Kelly has a very unique position and view in this regard.

So, I was a little shocked and dismayed when I thought for sure he would have at least congratulated the SpaceX team for the amazing work that they did to bring home two of his colleagues in spirit, who were only supposed to do a quick trip up to the International Space Station that ended up more than nine months.

Yet, I could find nothing publicly of him doing that. Possibly that was done in private, but what politician does not take the public opportunity to give a thumbs up?

There was nothing at his official office website in press releases, which I would have thought for sure, was something for which a former astronaut would have wanted to give a shout-out.

I also looked at his X feed (Twitter for us old-school users), and I could find nothing about the launch of the Dragon capsule to the ISS or the return of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely.

Once again, maybe I missed it, but where?

What I did find was a grudge match taking place in February between Kelly, his twin brother, and Musk HERE 

Sen. Mark Kelly and his twin brother clashed with Trump's adviser and the world’s richest man Elon Musk after Musk claimed that a pair of astronauts were left on the International Space Station for “political reasons.” 

Kelly, D-Ariz., a retired astronaut, had challenged Musk to climb into a rocket ship by the time the social media spat concluded on Friday afternoon. 

“Hey @ElonMusk, when you finally get the nerve to climb into a rocket ship, come talk to the three of us,” Kelly said on X.

The disagreement was over NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been in space since June 2024. The duo were on a weeklong test flight when their spacecraft faced mechanical issues last year. They have been in space for far longer than planned.

I get the whole thing that, because Donald Trump is a Republican and Elon Musk is working with him to help cut wasteful spending in the federal government--which Senator Kelly knows exists--maybe giving Musk an attaboy right now is not in vogue.

The senior senator from the great state of Arizona has a unique position, as I said earlier, on why this was a spectacular moment, and why it also was immensely critical to getting two people home who had long overstayed the time that they had been scheduled to be in outer space. The only other option was to pay the Russians to bring two Americans home, which would have not looked good for Uncle Sam.

If people who serve in Washington, D.C., or your local state capital or your local government can't suck it up for a moment and tell somebody who they believe is their opponent 99 percent of the time when something well is done for the greater community, they suck.

Also when you understand the danger involved with space travel better than 99 percent of us--in fact, you have done space travel--you get it and know better.

Much better than the raging maniacal people with the I.Q. of emotional wet bags of dryer lint wanting to commit acts of Tesla terrorism, to satisfy some odd rage itch to scratch. If you make a political point that your party seems to condone, stop it.

Care more about the country you have served in one capacity honorably, and start caring about it in the same way in your current role politically.

Arizona deserves it, and so does America.