Mark Kelly, brother hit back at Musk's attack on astronaut

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and his brother Scott Kelly, both retired astronauts, on Friday called out tech billionaire Elon Musk over his attacks on an astronaut on his social platform X.

"Hey @ElonMusk, when you finally get the nerve to climb into a rocket ship, come talk to the three of us," the Arizona lawmaker wrote on X in response to Musk's post calling Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen "an idiot."

Scott Kelly was defending Mogensen after Musk attacked him for challenging his remarks on a recent Fox News interview alongside President Trump. Musk used an ableist slur, referring to Mogensen, in response to his post.

Mogensen had pushed back on Musk’s claim that the Biden administration “left” two astronauts in space “for political reasons.”

“What a lie,” Morgansen wrote in an X post while referring to a clip from the interview. “And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media.”

In support of Andreas, Scott Kelly wrote, "I was the Commander of the @ISS when Andy, @Astro_Andreas flew his first space mission. He is one of the most competent, trustworthy, and honest people I’ve ever met. This rhetoric is beyond the pale but, sadly, not surprising. He does not deserve this kind of disrespect."

In response, Musk said Andreas publicly attacked him, "despite having no idea what ACTUALLY happened."

"Btw, your brother claims to be independent, but is just a Dem donor shill," Musk said to Scott Kelly.

This prompted a response from the Arizona Democrat, who challenged the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head to "climb into a rocket ship" before talking to the three of them.

On Wednesday, Mark Kelly criticized Musk and Trump over the administration's tax policies during his Senate speech.

"Did you wake up today thinking, 'Gosh, rich people sure need a tax cut?' Neither did I, but Elon Musk and Donald Trump did. I just got done speaking on the Senate floor about why their plan is a handout to the rich paid for by working families," he said in a post on X.