Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez, Gayle King and the rest of the Blue Origins crew that flew to space on Monday may not be technically astronauts, cordination to the rules of the federal government.
Despite the billionaire Jeff Bezos calling the crew of women “astronauts” after the successful 11 minutes flight on Monday, the details of the mission can disqualify women from being officials recognized by the administration of astronauts (federal).
Since none of the crew members played a direct role in the flight pilot, Perry and the rest of the women can be classified as “space travelers” instead of astronauts, according to federal rules.
The new rocket and Shepard capsule flew autonomously, taking direction from the ground crew.
In 2004, the FAA launched its Alas Astronaut Astronauts program, formally recognizing anyone who has flown to external space as an astronaut, a title typically reserved for the best of NASA.
After Blue Origins and Virgin Galactic began normalizing commercial space trips, FAA updated their rules in 2021, requiring that crew members show that “they demonstrated activities that rotated the flight that were essential for public safety or contributed.”
The subsequent requirement remains vague, and would normally depend on the discretion of FAA on whether the women of the New Shepard 31 mission met that qualification.
The FAA, however, closed its Alas Astronaut Astronauts program at the end of 2021, instead of adding any new visitor to its list of “recognition of human spatial flights.”
Before the end of the program, Bezos and many of his guests and Blue Origins clients received their wings.
Even if FAA does not recognize women as astronauts, the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which defines an astronaut as “a person who travels beyond earth” would be recognized as such.
The distinction of who and who cannot name Astronaut has continued to be a button problem after the emergence of space tourism, and many criticized the companies for the rich and powerful.
The criticism echoed on Monday flight that saw the three celebrities, together with the civil rights activist, Amanda Nguyen, the former NASA engineer, Aisha Bowe and the film producer Kerianne Flynn, became the first crew of women to visit the space since the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova took a flight in 1963.
“Whatever criticizing does not really understand what is happening here,” King told People after the trip.
“We can all talk to the answer we receive from young women from young women about what these representatives.”
The fiancee of the founder and multimillionaire of Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos, also responded to some of those criticism shortly after the launch and said that he only put it more “excited.”
“They really excite me. I would love to get to Blue Origin and see the thousands of employees who not only work here, but put their heart and soul in this vehicle,” said Sánchez, 55, to The Outlet.