Women Went to Space, But Men Still Want to Own It
This week, rocket company Blue Origin sent six women to the edge of space, the first time an all-female crew made the trip since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova completed a three-day solo mission more than six decades ago.
The flight included a pop star, a TV journalist, an aerospace engineer, a film producer, and a bioastronautics research scientist-turned-activist. Also on board was Lauren Sanchez, a businesswoman, journalist, author, philanthropist and the fiancée of Jeff Bezos, the world's second-richest person and founder of Blue Origin. The roster had 'the energy of an American Girl doll collection,' as the New York Times ' Amanda Hess put it.
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Geek Wire
7 hours ago
- Geek Wire
Watch six globe-spanning travelers take a quick space trip on Blue Origin rocket ship
The lineup for Blue Origin's 12th crewed New Shepard suborbital space mission includes, from left, Paul Jeris, Jaime Alemán, Gretchen Green, Aymette Medina Jorge, Mark Rocket and Jesse Williams. (Blue Origin Photo) Six well-traveled adventurers are due to go where they've never gone before when Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space venture sends them on a suborbital space trip. The mission, expected to last about 10 minutes, is due for liftoff from Blue Origin's Launch Site One in West Texas as early as 8:30 a.m. CT (6:30 a.m. PT) Saturday. Blue Origin plans to stream coverage of the mission via its website, starting at T-minus-30 minutes. This will be Blue Origin's 32nd New Shepard suborbital launch, and its 12th crewed mission. The flight plan for the NS-32 mission calls for New Shepard's booster to send the crew capsule beyond the 100-kilometer (62-mile) altitude that marks the internationally accepted boundary of space. After separation, the reusable booster is designed to descend to a landing pad under autonomous control. Meanwhile, the spacefliers will experience a few minutes of weightlessness and get an astronaut's-eye view of Earth beneath a black sky. At the end of the ride, the capsule will make a parachute-aided descent to the rangeland surrounding the launch site. Since 2021, Blue Origin has flown 58 suborbital space travelers, including 'Star Trek' captain William Shatner and Jeff Bezos himself. The most recent New Shepard flight, in April, sent up an all-female crew including pop superstar Katy Perry, CBS morning-show host Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez, a helicopter pilot and journalist who is Bezos' fiancée. That mission generated celebrity buzz as well as backlash. The lineup for the NS-32 mission includes: Jaime Alemán , a Panamanian attorney, business executive and former ambassador to the U.S. Blue Origin says this flight will make Alemán the first person to travel to all 193 U.N.-recognized member states, the North and South Poles and outer space. , a Panamanian attorney, business executive and former ambassador to the U.S. Blue Origin says this flight will make Alemán the first person to travel to all 193 U.N.-recognized member states, the North and South Poles and outer space. Gretchen Green , a radiologist specializing in women's imaging with more than 20 years of clinical experience. She's an alumna of Space Camp and now serves on the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation Board. , a radiologist specializing in women's imaging with more than 20 years of clinical experience. She's an alumna of Space Camp and now serves on the U.S. Space & Rocket Center Education Foundation Board. Paul Jeris , a real estate developer and entrepreneur based in Ohio. He has visited more than 149 countries so far and says he aims to see every nation. , a real estate developer and entrepreneur based in Ohio. He has visited more than 149 countries so far and says he aims to see every nation. Aymette (Amy) Medina Jorge , a high-school and middle-school STEM teacher at Odyssey Academy in Galveston, Texas. She has led more than 60 space experiments and zero-gravity projects. She was born in Puerto Rico, and her seat is sponsored by Farmacias Similares, a Mexican company that's committed to social impact and accessible health care across Latin America. , a high-school and middle-school STEM teacher at Odyssey Academy in Galveston, Texas. She has led more than 60 space experiments and zero-gravity projects. She was born in Puerto Rico, and her seat is sponsored by Farmacias Similares, a Mexican company that's committed to social impact and accessible health care across Latin America. Mark Rocket , an entrepreneur and tech leader from New Zealand. He's the CEO of Kea Aerospace and the president of Aerospace New Zealand. He was a seed investor in Rocket Lab, where he served as co-director from 2007 to 2011. , an entrepreneur and tech leader from New Zealand. He's the CEO of Kea Aerospace and the president of Aerospace New Zealand. He was a seed investor in Rocket Lab, where he served as co-director from 2007 to 2011. Jesse Williams, a Canadian entrepreneur and adventurer who has reached the summits of six of the seven highest peaks on Earth, including Mount Everest and Antarctica's Mount Vinson. Saturday's scheduled launch could be delayed due to weather concerns or technical issues. We'll be updating this report with further developments. Blue Origin is also providing online updates
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Two Space Camp Alumnae on board Blue Origin's next launch
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — If you're looking for something out of this world to do this weekend, look no further. Tomorrow, The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is celebrating the launch of Blue Origin's New Shepard-32 mission with a blue-themed launch party. Our friend and CEO of the Space & Rocket Center, Dr. Kimberly Robinson joined us on Day to Day Friday with more on the launch and how the center plans to celebrate another historic flight. Saturday, May 31 beginning at 8 a.m. Blue Origin's human-crewed suborbital flight will have Space Camp alumnae Dr. Gretchen Green and Aymette (Amy) Medina Jorge on board. The launch party takes place in the 'Dare to Explore: Frontiers of Space' exhibit where Blue Origin's BE-3U and BE-4 engines are on display. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Russia loses ground as China offers cheaper nuclear power plants to Kazakhstan
China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has proposed building two nuclear power plant units in Kazakhstan with a total capacity of 2.4 GW for US$5.47 billion – nearly half the previously estimated cost. Source: The Moscow Times, an independent Amsterdam-based news outlet Details Following negotiations, the Kazakh side "expressed interest in learning from China's experience in ensuring nuclear and water-ecological safety at all stages of the nuclear power plant project". CNNC not only offers a lower price but is also ready to share technologies and allow Kazakhstan full control over the nuclear fuel cycle. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has announced its readiness to cooperate with Kazakhstan on the project. Other shortlisted contenders for the construction of the nuclear plant in Kazakhstan include Russia's Rosatom, South Korea's KHNP and France's EDF. The data of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy shows that the project was previously estimated at US$10-15 billion. The government had warned that due to rising material and service costs, the amount could increase by 1.5 times. Kazakhstan has the world's second-largest uranium reserves and controls 43% of global uranium production through the company Kazatomprom. The country previously operated a nuclear power plant – the Shevchenko plant – built during the Soviet era, which was decommissioned in 1999 due to the risk of weapons-grade plutonium production. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
