Did NASA even exist then? Clinton lampooned for claiming space agency ENDED her childhood dreams of becoming astronaut
Twitter users have launched dozens of snarky memes into digital orbit after Hillary Clinton recounted how NASA had crushed her childhood dream of becoming an astronaut.
Marking the first all-woman spacewalk, Clinton illustrated just how far gender equality has come in the last 60 years.
“When I was a little girl, I wrote to NASA and told them I dreamed of being an astronaut. They wrote back and said they weren’t taking girls,” the former presidential candidate tweeted, because apparently everything has to be about her. She then expressed hope that a “new generation of little girls” will be able to reach for the stars.
When I was a little girl, I wrote to NASA and told them I dreamed of being an astronaut. They wrote back and said they weren't taking girls.A new generation of little girls watched today's historic spacewalk. May their dreams of reaching the stars have no bounds. https://t.co/MRR9OVmou7
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 18, 2019
Social media users immediately began to pick apart the rather far-fetched tale.
One top reply correctly noted that Clinton was born in 1947, more than 10 years before NASA was founded. Furthermore, it wasn’t until 1962 that the US put an astronaut in space – making her story hard to believe.
You were born in 1947, NASA wasn't formed until 1958 and we didn't have an astronaut in space until until 1962 when you were 15 years old.You didn't write a letter to NASA when you were a little girl and you should definitely stop drunk tweeting. https://t.co/6bTN8t9D4R
— Oregon Designer (@Easycure) October 19, 2019
Others pointed to Clinton’s previous tall tales that were later proven to be demonstrably false, including her claim that she was named after Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Given Clinton’s shaky track record when it comes to keeping documents, several suspicious netizens demanded to see the alleged rejection letter.
The response to her childhood story wasn’t completely negative, however. If Clinton is still interested in going into space, that could certainly be arranged – on condition that she stays there, a generous Twitter user suggested.
Well, it's not too late for us to blast you off to space and leave you there. Your dream will be fulfilled!
— Kate Schneider (@Kate_Anon) October 18, 2019
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