SpaceX astronaut Sian Proctor who took a three-day flight to space and back in September aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule generated some social media flutter on Tuesday after she showed off her new Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F)-made Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle on Twitter.
What Happened: Proctor shared a photograph of her brand new Mach-E. The astronaut shared a message that she loves Elon Musk-led companies Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) and SpaceX but chose to buy a Ford electric vehicle due to "many factors."
Proctor’s post drew a round of comments including speculations on whether the Mach-E was a gift from Ford to squeeze publicity.
Ha, I wish!! But believe me, if Ford or Tesla or any other company wants to give me an EV, I’ll absolutely take it!!
— Dr. Sian “Leo” Proctor (@DrSianProctor) December 28, 2021
The 51-year old astronaut denied the Mach-E was a gift but joked she would gladly accept one as a present if Ford, Tesla, or any other electric vehicle company decides to take the step.
Proctor had previously in a separate post said the Mach-E is her second Ford vehicle and that she owned a Bronco when she was still in grad school. The astronaut shared a vintage photo of the Bronco as well.
The artist-turned-astronaut also promoted her art and said she’d buy a Tesla the day her work secures 1,000 postcards on Patreon, a subscription-based platform for content creators.
For anyone concerned that I didn’t buy a Tesla, please consider supporting me as an artist. I’ll absolutely buy a Tesla the day I reach 1,000 postcard @Patreon supporters! https://t.co/QxnafXXoTl
— Dr. Sian “Leo” Proctor (@DrSianProctor) December 28, 2021
Ford CEO Jim Farley congratulated Proctor on Twitter and said “Space White” was a great choice of color.
Enjoy! Great to see you in another @Ford! Would love to hear about your experience ‘piloting’ your Mach-E.
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) December 27, 2021
Proctor and three other astronauts were part the SpaceX’s Inspiration4 all-civilian crew, led by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of e-commerce firm Shift4 Payments Inc (NYSE:FOUR).
Photo: Courtesy of Ford
