Social media users have slammed Katy Perry and Blue Origin – and say their space launch was nothing more than a ‘joyride for the super-rich’.
Perry, Lauren Sanchez, and four others completed their all-female mission to space aboard Jeff Bezos‘ Blue Origin rocket this afternoon.
The A-list crew travelled for 11 minutes, reaching an altitude of 62 miles (100km) and crossing the Karman Line, the official boundary of space.
However, commenters have branded the mission ‘ridiculous’, and say it is nothing more than a ‘publicity stunt’.
Dr Gareth Dorrian, a space scientist from the University of Birmingham, told MailOnline: ‘Let’s call it what it is and not tell ourselves that it is contributing meaningfully to science or space exploration.
‘I am afraid I do still think these flights are essentially just joyrides for the super-rich.’
While Katy Perry and her fellow crewmates did technically enter space, not everyone is convinced they deserve the title ‘astronauts’ as Blue Origin insists.
On X, formerly Twitter, one commenter wrote: ‘They’re not astronauts…. I think real astronauts would be offended at that. They’re celebrities sat on their bums.’
Social media users have slammed Katy Perry and Blue Origin – and say their space launch was nothing more than a ‘joyride for the super-rich’
On board were Jeff Bezos’ fiancé Lauren Sánchez, pop star Katy Perry, CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, activist Amanda Nguyen, and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe
On social media, commenters slammed the mission and complained that the crew were not real astronauts
On X, formerly Twitter, the mission was slammed as a ‘vanity project for celebrities’
Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission launched from the company’s Launch Site One about 30 miles north of Van Horn, Texas, at 14:30 BST (09:30) local time
Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission launched from the company’s Launch Site One about 30 miles north of Van Horn, Texas, at 14:30 BST (09:30) local time.
On board were Jeff Bezos’ fiancé Lauren Sánchez, pop star Katy Perry, CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, activist Amanda Nguyen, and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe.
The New Shepard Rocket carried the capsule to the edge of space at nearly twice the speed of sound before detaching and allowing the crew to experience a few minutes of weightlessness.
During that period the crew capsule crossed the Karman Line, technically passing from Earth’s atmosphere into space.
The capsule then made the return journey back to Earth, as the unfurling parachutes drew screams from the crew onboard.
Just 11 minutes after launch, the New Shepard capsule touched down within driving distance of the launch platform where Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos was present to open the hatch.
While Blue Origin has touted the all-female mission as an inspirational moment in the history of spaceflight, many others were not so convinced.
On X, commenters slammed the mission, with one writing: ‘They spent like 30 seconds in space. It’s not much more than a glorified amusement park ride.’
Having safely landed back on Earth, Blue Origin hailed the success of this all-female mission and welcomed its ‘astronauts’ back home
The New Shepard capsule returned to Earth just 11 minutes after launching, where the crew was met by Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos
After stepping out of the capsule, Katy Perry (pictured) kissed the ground
Social media users complained that the launch was a ‘glorified carnival ride’
Dr Raven Baxter, an American science communicator, wrote that she ‘could not care less about rich people going to space’
‘I could not care less about rich people going to space right now,’ added another.
One wrote: ‘It’s just a glorified carnival ride with an escape system and parachutes and tailored outfits/seats. It’s a PR stunt if anything.’
In particular, the choice of figures such as Katy Perry and Lauren Sanchez was a source of irritation for many.
Online, commenters lambasted the decision, with one writing: ‘When space turned into a vanity project for celebrities, we lost the plot.’
Another wrote: ‘Katy Perry and Gyle King being launched into space while publicly saying they are bringing the “ass back in astronauts” and “makeup/glam is important for the mission” is some kind of black mirror parody’.
‘Going to space for a publicity stunt is insane. And she’s already a millionaire like there’s no reason for her to do this’, added another.
While one commenter bluntly asked: ‘For what reason does Katy Perry need to go to space.’
While Blue Origin’s goal might have been to reach a wider audience of women, experts say the choices may have missed the mark.
Jeff Bezos met his fiance Lauren Sanchez as he opened the door to the capsule. Experts have pointed out that picking such wealthy passengers undermines the message of democratising spaceflight
Space fans felt that Katy Perry’s comments that the astronauts were ‘putting the “ass” in astronaut’ devalued the work of real female astronauts who conduct important scientific research in space
Many were particularly outraged at the choice of crew, especially Katy Perry. One commenter called it ‘some kind of black mirror parody’
One commenter bluntly asked why the pop star Katty Perry had been chosen to go into space
Social media commenters complained that the mission was wasteful and showed a ‘complete lack of understanding of the real world’
Professor Louis Brennan, an expert on the business of commercial spaceflight, told MailOnline: ‘Blue Origin is owned by one of the richest billionaires in the world Jeff Bezos and such billionaires are not winning any popularity contests these days.
‘While space billionaires talk about the democratisation of space, the composition of today’s crew is not one that extends across the socio-economic divide.
‘In that respect, one can certainly understand the view that this is yet just another multi-billionaire vanity project.’
Likewise, on social media, many were shocked by the wastefulness of the project.
One commenter wrote: ‘Yet again millionaires and billionaires show their complete lack of understanding of the real world, the people that could have been fed with the money that Blue Origin is burning for 11 minutes is ridiculous.’
However, the issue that caused the most irritation was Blue Origin’s insistence that the passengers were now ‘officially astronauts’.
Technically, passing the Karman Line does mean the crew entered space and could be considered astronauts.
However social media commenters argued that this devalued the work of real female astronauts who train for years to conduct valuable research in space.
Having passed beyond the Karman Line at an altitude of 62 miles (100km) and officially entered space, the Blue Origin crew (pictured) could technically be considered astronauts. However, not everyone agreed they were deserving of the title
The biggest objection many commenters had was Blue Origin’s insistence that the crew were ‘astronauts’. Some complained that they had not done enough to earn this title
One commenter shared an image of Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, writing ‘THIS is a female astronaut’. Sally Ride obtained a PhD from Stanford University in physics and helped develop the Space Shuttle’s robotic arm before going to space in 1983
One outraged commenter wrote: ‘These women going up in Blue Origin are celebrities going for a 10 minute RIDE in low orbit.
‘They are not astronauts or a “crew”. In fact, calling them that is an insult to all prior women astronaut women scientists.’
One social media user added: ‘All Paying Passengers, no trained crew on board. So like flying on an Airline, they do not become Pilots or Astronauts.’
While another added: ‘There are female astronauts…they are highly accomplished women in sciences and military aviation.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .