NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Native Tennessean Barry "Butch" Wilmore shares his stories of space and his political aspirations. "This is nothing new, it's been in discussion for over 15 years. It goes back to 2010 when I got together with friends, like minded friends ... and discussed many options, political options." A technicality kept him from pursuing the 2026 gubernatorial race, but his drive to help Tennessee remains strong.
Wilmore was born in Murfreesboro, raised in Mt. Juliet, attended Tennessee Tech, and earned his master’s degree at UT Knoxville.
In his book Stuck In Space: An Astronaut's Hope Through the Unexpected, Wilmore recounts how a kid from Tennessee became a military test pilot and, in 2024, made history with Suni Williams as part of the first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner. Their eight-day test flight to the International Space Station stretched into more than eight months due to thruster issues and helium leaks. During their extended stay, they aided in critical research aboard the ISS.
Wilmore tells host Chris Davis about the moment they recognized a serious issue: "When we were out front of the space station and we were losing the thrusters and eventually we lost the ability to fully control the spacecraft — six degrees of freedom control: pitch, roll, yaw — that's attitude, then translation: forward, aft, up and down, left and right... three on each axis." As the thrusters failed and the controls slowed, Wilmore recalls thinking, "Man, we gotta dock. We've got to dock at the Space Station."
