Biden jokes his wife wishes to send him to space, shows concern for stranded astronauts

United States President Joe Biden jokingly made lighthearted comments about the possibility of him being sent to space to rescue the two NASA astronauts stranded at the International Space Station (ISS).

During the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) economic conference meeting with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, Biden shared a personal anecdote about his wife's playful threats to send him to space when he becomes unmanageable. 

Upon noticing NASA administrator Bill Nelson there, Biden said, “Every time my wife thinks I’m getting out of hand, she says, ‘I’m going to call NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and have him send you to space." 

“And I’m a little concerned he may want to send me to space because we got to get some folks back home!" he added. 

The joke comes in the context of astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who have been stranded on the ISS in June after facing complications with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft.

Also read: Stranded astronauts welcome aboard SpaceX rescue crew at space station

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams and her NASA counterpart Barry Wilmore have been at the ISS for nearly five months.  

Initially, the plan was for eight days, however, the mission extended significantly, with their return now scheduled for February 2025. 

According to NASA, it is too risky to bring them back to Earth currently in the malfunctioned capsule. 

Meanwhile, there were also reports of William's health deteriorating after images of her "gaunt" appearance in space went viral. However, earlier this week, she put the rumours to rest in a video interview shared by NASA.

Williams emphasised that her weight was the same as when she arrived at the ISS. 

Watch | Astronaut's Health Concerns NASA: Williams Seen Undergone Excessive Weight Loss In Latest Pictures

"I think my body has changed a little bit but I weigh the same. There are a lot of changes that go on here...It's funny, I think there are some rumors around that I am losing weight and stuff...No, I am actually right at the same amount. We go weigh ourselves, we have a spring mass...Butch and I weigh ourselves the same way that I was when I got up here," she said.

Elon Musk's SpaceX deployed its Crew Dragon capsule in September, which is set to facilitate the astronauts' return following its scheduled February mission. 

Biden's remarks also highlighted the space collaboration between Washington and Lima, as Peru recently signed the US-led Artemis Accords on space exploration.

(With inputs from agencies)