Who is Laysa Peixoto, Brazilian content creator who lied about going to space with NASA?

Time of India

2 days ago

Who doesn't dream of exploring the enigmatic world of space? Every human is fascinated with the world different from the one we know and while not most of us would want to board a ship to go see it, many make it their lifelong dream.
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Laysa Peixoto, a Brazilian social media celebrity turned many heads when she claimed that she had been selected as the future astronaut for private missions to the Moon and Mars by
. However now, the content creator has faced a huge backlash from none other than the administration itself.
What did she claim and did she really lie about being a NASA astronaut? Let's find out.
Going to Space with NASA!
Image credits: X/@BHeMeupais
Standing inside a Manhattan building with the iconic Empire State Building behind her back, Laysa Peixoto, adorning a NASA jacket revealed on June 5 that she was "going to space".
'I was selected to become a career astronaut, performing on manned spaceflights for private space stations, and future manned missions to the Moon and Mars,' she claimed on Instagram. 'I'm officially an astronaut of the Class of 2025 and will be part of the inaugural Titans Space flight.'
She claimed that she would be joining the private space company's debut voyage in 2029, commanded by Bill McArthur, a veteran NASA astronaut.
The tech influencer who has a following of 154,000 followers also added that she is Brazil's first female astronaut. 'It is a great joy to represent Brazil as an astronaut in such a decisive era of space exploration, that will change history of mankind forever,' Peixoto added. 'It's an honor to carry the flag of Brazil with me as the first Brazilian woman to cross that border.'
She claimed to be selected as a career astronaut at Titans Space for which NASA can select only American citizens.
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Additionally, an April press release about the flight included the mentions of McArthur along with three other members, namely, Chris Sembroski, Dr. Mindy Howard and Vaseema Hussain among other people.
There was no mention of Peixoto. However, her team claimed that she is a part of the mission and that the details are outdated.'The Titans Space website is out of date, information confirmed by Titans Space representative, who also confirmed Laysa's entry into the company's formation,' Peixoto's agent told Brazilian newspaper O Tempo.
NASA denies Laysa Peixoto's participation in any mission?
Image credits: X/@TheSilvaOne
Titans Space has a program that offers a 5-hour journey aboard the company's space plane and three hours in zero gravity. Candidates can join the "Inaugural Astronauts" program for either an open invitation or $1 million. However, according to The Sun, the company does not hold a license to conduct manned space flights.
NASA has denied Peixoto's participation in any upcoming missions with the agency. 'While we generally do not comment on personnel, this individual is not a NASA employee, principal investigator, or astronaut candidate,' said NASA, according to the Daily Mail.
They added that Peixoto had participated in a workshop at L'Space Academy with NASA that wasn't an internship or job. 'It would be inappropriate to claim NASA affiliation as part of this opportunity,' the agency stated.
Peixoto clarified her claims again saying that she never claimed to be selected by NASA. 'Maybe many of you didn't get a chance to read what I said when I announced 'I'm going to space,' just the title. The text is available here and in it, I mention WHO selected me, and I mention that it's a PRIVATE space program.'
Additionally, now even the influencer's educational background is being questioned as in her now-deleted LinkedIn page she mentioned she worked at NASA at the age of 19, was a fellow at Max Planck Society, a German non-profit, enrolled in an engineering course at MIT and had a Master's Degree from Columbia University, as per CNN Brazil.