When I took astronomy last school year, a new interest in everything space-related suddenly reemerged from within me; I loved learning about nebulas, galaxies, stars, black holes and exoplanets along with our own solar system and space missions. As we learned about the Space Race and following journeys, I felt a particular pride whenever a female astronaut was brought up, whether it be Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to go to space, or Sally Ride, the first American woman to go to space.
So why was it that when I saw the most recent all-female space flight I felt nothing but contempt?
On April 14, Blue Origin — a space company founded by multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos — sent a crew consisting entirely of women to space on their New Shepard rocket for around 11 minutes. The flight included pop star Katy Perry, Bezos’s journalist fiancée Lauren Sánchez, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn, “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King, bioastronautics researcher and civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe.
Seems like a major win for women, right? I mean, it was the first all-female spaceflight since Tereshkova orbited the Earth solo in 1963! However, while this trip may try to disguise itself as a feminist victory, it actually reinforces sexism and further reveals the split between the working class and rich elites in our society.
First of all, of the crew only two people, Nguyen and Bowe, held actual qualifications for space travel with their backgrounds in STEM. Blue Origin could have sent six female astronauts or even scientists in general, but the corporation opted for a flock of celebrities instead. Talk about an obvious PR stunt! An NBC reporter even told Perry, “You are officially an astronaut.” So am I a pilot for going on a plane? Am I a conductor for riding a train? Of course not! There are real astronauts who are women, and it is unfair to compare them to people just hitching a ride for a few minutes. That right there promotes sexism, as it reinforces the idea that female scientists do not work as hard as male ones.
In fact, less than two months ago NASA astronaut Suni Williams and her colleague came back from nine months of being trapped in space due to issues with the Boeing Starliner. What did she get in return? Constant talk about her changed appearance after spending so much time in zero gravity! I guess bona fide scientists who are women are not as valuable as ultra-rich astronaut cosplayers.
And this space “mission,” which is space tourism more than anything, can cost a hefty penny to join; Blue Origin occasionally sends some people for free, those people mostly being celebrities, but paying for a seat can cost up to tens of millions of dollars. The sheer amount of money spent on this journey, which amounted to no impactful scientific achievements or benefit to other people, is absurd.
Similarly, even though Blue Origin claims to care about sustainability, the truth is the opposite. Although the rocket released water vapor to propel itself up, the heat converted nitrogen in the air into nitrogen oxide, which harms the ozone layer. Water vapor in itself also acts as a greenhouse gas, and releasing both these gases into the many layers of the atmosphere causes them to stick around for longer, therefore contributing to climate change.
In the end, this particular Blue Origin mission already happened, so the damage is done; however, we do not have to be complicit. The wealthy and famous continue to destroy our planet and flaunt their money while claiming themselves progressive, and it is our job to stand up against their destructive actions. Let’s leave rocketships to the trained professionals.
