Popstar Katy Perry returns safely to Earth after trip to space
Popstar Katy Perry blasted off into space as part of an all-female flight crew on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket.The rocket has been built by Blue Origin, a space tourism company owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, who started Amazon.Katy Perry was joined by five other women on the trip, Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez, US TV presenter Gayle King, former Nasa rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn.The rocket set off from a launch site in West Texas at 08:30 local time (14:30 BST).The flight lasted around 11 minutes and the capsule travelled more than 100km (62 miles) above Earth, crossing the Karman line - the internationally recognised boundary of space - giving the passengers a few minutes of weightlessness, before safely returning to Earth.
The spacecraft is fully autonomous - which means there are no pilots and the rocket is controlled remotely, not by people onboard the ship.The capsule returned to Earth with a soft landing using a parachute, with the rocket booster landing itself around two miles away from the launch site.After landing Katy Perry said she feels "super connected to life" and "so connected to love" and said she might record a song about her experience.TV presenter Gayle King said: "It's oddly quiet when you get up there. It's really quiet and peaceful and you look down at the planet and think, 'That's where we came from.'"For me, it's such a reminder about how we need to do better, be better," she adds.
Although the space tourism company Blue Origin has not revealed full ticket prices, we do know that a $150,000 (£114,575.85) deposit is required to save a seat.Space tourism has split people's opinions in recent years, with some people saying that it is too exclusive - as it is very expensive so only some people can do it - and damaging to the environment.With people who support space tourism saying that private companies are increasing innovation and making space more accessible.The mission is the 11th human spaceflight for the New Shepard rocket and the 31st in its history. So far, the programme has launched more than 50 people into space, including Jeff Bezos himself.
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Furious that one man – whose Amazon mega-business has resulted in the death of thousands of small Italian shops – can 'rent' an entire city for three days, these activists have sent a stark message to the elite gathering in Venice this week: 'We don't want you here.' Meanwhile, the city council is rolling out the red carpet, claiming the millions of dollars spent in Venice by the Bezos circus justifies the disruption. It's not celebrities per se that Venetians hate, but instead the mayor's apparent policy of 'de-populating' the historic centre. By cutting back on public services and encouraging so-called hyper-tourism, they say he is shutting Venetians out of their own city. Most of the 46,000 who live in the island city loathe Brugnaro. 'This city is on its knees,' claims Alberto, an art dealer who lives on the Grand Canal. 'Brugnaro sees Venice as a cash cow for his electorate on the mainland. He's bleeding it dry.' I can understand the protesters' anger. In the time I've lived here, I've seen Venice become more and more impossibly congested with tourists, with more than 20 million visiting last year. The mayor's much publicised 'entry contribution' – effectively a tariff for entering the city of ¤5 per day – has done nothing to reduce their numbers, but it does mean locals are regularly stopped and asked for proof of a payment they don't have to make. My greengrocer gave up last winter. Like so many small businesses, he was simply unable to cope with rising rents. His stand of beautiful seasonal vegetables has been replaced by yet another tacky souvenir shop selling Venetian masks. When Brugnaro gloatingly announced that Bezos 'didn't choose Venice by chance', he assured locals the wedding would not cause disruption. However the council has (very discreetly), announced the closure of three canals and several streets in the area surrounding Madonna del'Orto. The cloister is near the main Venice hospital and several older residents I spoke to said they felt anxious about access being blocked. Many others feel resentful at the idea that Bezos will be bringing huge amounts of money to the city. Contrary to reports, the city's fleet of water taxis has not been booked out; in fact, many drivers are boycotting the event. Vittorio, 28, who lives on the Lido, is one of them. 'Many of us work through agencies,' he explains, 'and they have doubled, even tripled, the prices. But they're not planning to pay us so much as a single euro extra.' Bezos and Sanchez seem to have done their best to express their respect for Venice, donating a reputed $3 million to Unesco Venice, the International University and environmental agency Corila. But protesters are unimpressed. Toto, a young member of the collective behind the 'No Space for Bezos' campaign was contemptuous: 'Bezos earns $13 million an hour. Why should we be grateful for $3 million?' So far, the activists seem to have the city on their side. A planned opening party at La Pagoda restaurant has been cancelled and the venue for the post-wedding ball transferred from the Scuola della Misericordia to the Arsenale, a historic former military zone where it will be easier to keep protesters at bay. However, there are still fears that local anger may tip over into violence. Checking in yesterday morning at the boatyard where I keep my own boat, I found several owners saying they were planning not to use their vehicles during the wedding period. There's anxiety the police will be stopping drivers and that they'll be schedato (put on file) as potential disruptors. Although several local bodies, including the Venetian Association of Hoteliers, have spoken out in favour of the wedding, no one I spoke to expressed anything but distaste. Some talked of the city being 'taken hostage', while others said they were planning to leave town for the weekend. As I made my way home over the Accademia Bridge, even the Grand Canal looked strangely empty. Venice feels tense, waiting for something. The Bezos wedding invitation reminds guests that 'This magical place has gifted us unforgettable memories', but from the mood in the city today, they may not be happy ones.
