Two NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday in a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico. This was the first splashdown by U.S. astronauts in 45 years. (August 2) AP Domestic

A couple days before theSpaceX Crew Dragon capsule splashed down Sunday, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk was tweeting about extraterrestrial life.

Early Friday, he tweeted,"Aliens built the pyramids obv," which was liked nearly 540,000 times and retweeted more than 85,000 times as of Sunday afternoon.

It's not clear if Musk was serious, but his tweet got him an invitation to Egypt.

"I follow your work with a lot of admiration. I invite you & Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders," Rania A. Al Mashat, Egypt's minister of international cooperation,tweeted Saturday. "Mr. Musk, we are waiting for you."

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Musk tweeted follow-up messages after his initial tweet.

"The Great Pyramid was the tallest structure made by humans for 3800 years. Three thousand, eight hundred years," he tweeted, sharing a Wikipedia link about the Great Pyramid of Giza.

He also shared a BBC article, which he said "provides a sensible summary for how it was done."

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On Sunday, closing out an unprecedented test flight by Musk's SpaceX company, two NASA astronauts returned to Earthin a dramatic, retro-style splashdown, their capsule parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico.

It was the first splashdown by U.S. astronauts in 45 years, and thefirst commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit. The return clears the way for another SpaceX crew launch as early as next month and possible tourist flights next year.

Contributing: Associated Press

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter:@KellyTyko

A capsule carrying two NASA astronauts parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico to complete a test flight by Elon Musk's SpaceX company. USA TODAY

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Egypt invites Elon Musk to visit after Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweets 'aliens built the pyramids obv' - USA TODAY