Spaceflight with Six Female Passengers Completed Successfully
But Criticism Arises: "Purpose of the Flight Remains Unclear"
Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, successfully completed a spaceflight composed entirely of women, but some critics argue that the flight's purpose is unclear and label it as space tourism. Online, memes mocking the flight are spreading.
On the 14th (local time), Lauren Sanchez, a space traveler, civic activist Amanda Nguyen, pop star Katy Perry, CBS anchor Gayle King, aerospace engineer Aisha Bo, and film producer Kerry Ann Flynn (clockwise from the left). Blue Origin Instagram
According to the Guardian on the 15th (local time), American actress and director Olivia Wilde posted on her Instagram a meme mocking Blue Origin's spacecraft 'New Shepard' spaceflight, along with the caption, "Looks like they bought a good meme for $1 billion (1.4225 trillion KRW)."
Actress Amy Schumer also posted a video mocking the spaceflight on her Instagram. Schumer sarcastically claimed that she was invited to participate in the spaceflight mission at the last minute, saying, "I was on the subway and got a text asking, 'Don't you want to go to space?' so I ended up going to space."
Schumer notably held up a Black Panther toy and added, "I'm going to take this to space. It means nothing to me, but it's in my bag, so I'll bring it along." This is interpreted as a jab at pop star Katy Perry, who boarded the New Shepard spacecraft holding a 'Daisy' flower, the same name as her daughter.
Some celebrities raised questions about the purpose of the flight even before the launch. American actress Olivia Munn said on a program on the 3rd, "There are many people in the world who can't even afford an egg, yet it costs so much money to go to space," and questioned, "What exactly are they going to do in space?" She also asked rhetorically, "Space exploration is meant to expand our knowledge and help humanity, but what help do these people provide by going to space?"
However, broadcaster Gayle King, who participated in the spaceflight, responded to the criticism by saying, "Those people don't understand what's happening here." Lauren Sanchez, Bezos's fianc?e and a broadcaster, also countered, "Thousands of Blue Origin employees love their work and mission, and this means a lot to them."
New Shepard was launched from Texas, USA, on the 14th and completed an 11-minute spaceflight before returning to Earth. The six passengers, all civilians, included global singer Perry, NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, human rights activist and bioastronautics expert Amanda Nguyen, CBS morning show host Gayle King, film producer Kerrien Flynn, and Lauren Sanchez.
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