US President Biden, 81, made light-hearted comments about space travel during an APEC economic conference meeting with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte.
Upon noticing Nasa administrator Bill Nelson in attendance, Biden shared a personal anecdote about his wife’s playful threats to send him to space when he becomes unmanageable.
Biden continued his jovial remarks by expressing mock concern about Nelson potentially sending him to space, referencing the current situation with stranded astronauts that need to return home.
“Every time my wife thinks I’m getting out of hand, she says, ‘I’m going to call [Nelson] and have him send you to space,” Biden said.
“And I’m a little concerned he may want to send me to space because we got to get some folks back home!”
Boluarte, who took office in 2022 following her predecessor’s detention on treason charges, responded with courteous laughter.
The situation Biden referenced involves astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who became stranded on the International Space Station in June after complications with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Their initially planned eight-day mission has extended significantly, with their return now scheduled for February.
SpaceX, under Elon Musk’s leadership, deployed its Crew Dragon capsule in September, which is set to facilitate the astronauts’ return journey following its scheduled February mission.
During the meeting, Biden also acknowledged Peru’s participation in the US-led Artemis Accords regarding space conduct and highlighted a bilateral research rocket agreement between the two nations.