Blue Origin Flight Might Have Had a Squad, But No Crew

I was, admittedly, almost excited. 

When I initially read about Blue Origin’s plan for a launch with an all-female crew, I saw it as an innovative and interesting idea that might disrupt the misogyny – intentional or otherwise – that has haunted the history of space flight. What I was hoping for was important work by people whose lives had been dedicated to exploration. 

Then I read that Katy Perry was going. 

And after that I read the flight would last for 11 minutes. 

That’s when the idea of this flight, for me, began to deflate. It certainly wasn’t because only women were invited – I still like that idea – nor was it the women invited. The mission has been much maligned because a pop star (Katy Perry), a television personality (Gayle King), and the owner of the rocket’s fiancée (Lauren Sanchez) would be three of the seven making the trip. It turns out I had no problem with that either. My problem was with how this flight was being presented. 

Understand this – I’m a little bit of a space nerd. As a child, my family lived in Houston. And while we were not exactly living under NASA’s long shadow, I was always aware that the organization was part of the cloth and culture of the city I called home. We made field trips to the Johnson Space Center. We saw the original space shuttle Enterprise at an air show. I was fascinated and, as many my age were, easily infected by that very particular blend of hard science and wide-eyed optimism. I don’t recall ever aspiring to be an astronaut – oceanography was more my thing – but I certainly wanted to hang out with them. 

I consider, even in its currently diminished state, the idea of space science, travel, and exploration important. I believe it is an endeavor vital, in so many ways, to the future of mankind. And while I unapologetically pine for the glory days of NASA, when essential resources were set aside for both the practical and theoretical practice of space travel, I’m not opposed to the privatization and industrialization of exploration either. I do, however, take umbrage at the idea of execution without significant goals – which is where I feel the Blue Origin flight might land, despite language used that indicates ideas to the contrary. 

From the beginning, this group of women have been referred to as both a crew and astronauts. A crew, in my eyes, is a group of people providing essential knowledge and expertise while accomplishing mission-critical tasks. None of these women piloted the space craft, executed innovative science, or ensured systems were online and functioning. They took a ride. When I fly from Augusta to Atlanta, I’m not part of the flight crew. I’m a passenger – and I’m fine with that. 

More perplexing are the references to these women as astronauts. Perhaps I’ve got my head in the stars on this one, but I believe that certain criteria must be reached before the honorific of astronaut is bestowed. The closest contender on the Blue Origin ride was Amanda Nguyễn, a civil rights activist whose accomplishments – which are both deep and wide – include an early internship at NASA and selection as a scientist astronaut candidate at the Internation Institute of Astronautical Sciences. She also brought materials for testing on the flight – including microgravity wound dressing, materials for next-gen spacesuits and a wearable ultrasound patch. My question as to how much science can be accomplished in 11 minutes remains, but that feels pretty close to astronaut status. Closer than Perry singing in zero gravity. 

I do not care to deride the Blue Origin flight as wasteful, unnecessary, or pointless. I think that diminishes the always-remarkable feat of putting people outside Earth’s atmosphere. But let’s call it what it is – a very slick and effective piece of publicity. This flight was about drawing attention to the possibilities of commercial space flight, nothing less and most certainly nothing more. 

  While writing this, I’ve found myself wondering if, given a similar invitation, I would accept knowing that I would be neither crew nor astronaut. I think I would. But I would also do so knowing one thing for certain – that rare glimpse of our planet from above would be far more meaningful to me than it would be for mankind’s future in the stars.