Latest news with #NS-31Mission
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Emily Ratajkowski, Olivia Wilde criticize Katy Perry space flight
April 15 (UPI) -- Model Emily Ratajkowski, actress Olivia Wilde and other celebrities are criticizing the Blue Origin flight that took pop icon Katy Perry to the edge of Earth's atmosphere Monday. Ratajkowski, 33, took to TikTok to express her "disgust" with the NS-31 Mission, which also included Nobel Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen, ex-rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn and Lauren Sanchez, who is engaged to Amazon founder and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos. "This is beyond parody," Ratajkowski said in her video. "Saying that you care about mother Earth and it's about mother Earth, and you're going up in a space ship that is built and paid for by a company that's single-handedly destroying the planet -- look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space. For what? For what? What was the marketing there? And then to try to make it -- like I'm disgusted, literally, I'm disgusted." Perry knelt and kissed the Earth upon her return around 9:50 a.m., saying that the trip was "not about me." "It's not about singing my songs, it's about a collective energy in there, it's about us, it's about making space for future women and taking up space and belonging, and it's about this wonderful world that we see right out there and appreciating it. This is all for the benefit of Earth," she said, per Men's Journal. Perry's reaction yielded several internet memes, including one with the caption that read, "getting off a commercial flight in 2025," in an apparent reference to recent aircraft crashes. Tron actress Wilde, 41, commented on the post, writing, "Billion dollars bought some good memes I guess." Comedian Amy Schumer also took to Instagram to make fun of the flight, with an apparent reference to the daisy Perry brought with her. "Last second, they added me to space," she said. "And I'm going to space." She held up a small toy and continued, "I'm bringing this thing. It has no meaning to me, but it was in my bag, and I was like on the subway when I got the text, and they were like, 'Do you want to go to space?' So, I'm going to space. And thank you to everyone who got me here, and I'll see you guys in space."
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Katy Perry, Gayle King launch into space on Blue Origin rocket
April 14 (UPI) -- Pop singer Katy Perry and TV host Gayle King launched into space Monday as part of Blue Origin's eleventh space tourism launch. The all-female crew took off at 9:30 a.m. EDT in Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital vehicle, known as NS-31, from the company's Launch Site One, around 30 miles outside of Van Horn, Texas. New Shepard touched down at 9:39 a.m. as the crew parachuted back down to Earth and landed in their capsule with a puff of dust near the rocket at 9:42 a.m. following the brief flight. The crew emerged from the capsule shortly after 9:50 a.m. "I'm so excited about this launch," Perry said in an Instagram video earlier Monday, and then teased she would make a special announcement once she reaches zero gravity. Oprah Winfrey, who was on hand for the launch, posted a video of King and the rest of the NS-31 crew as they drove to the launchpad Monday, during which King appeared to wipe away tears. The NS-31 Mission crew also includes former rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, researcher and Nobel Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn and journalist Lauren Sanchez. Their destination is the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space, better known as the Karman line, and, once they arrive, will be weightless for approximately four minutes.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Katy Perry, Gayle King space flight sets April 14 launch
March 27 (UPI) -- Blue Origin set a date for its space flight featuring Katy Perry and Gayle King, and released a patch to symbolize the ride, Thursday. The all-female crew will take off April 14 in West Texas, the private space technology company said in a statement. Their destination is the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space, better known as the Karman line, and, once they arrive, they will be weightless for roughly four minutes. The NS-31 Mission is set to include Aisha Bowe, a former rocket scientist who is represented by a target star on the patch -- a nod to her "big goals, passion for STEM, and commitment to inspiring future generations," according to an official description. Researcher and Nobel Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen will also be on board. Nguyen is represented by scales to represent her "commitment to advocate for civil rights, break barriers, and empower everyday people to create change," the synopsis continues. Other crew members include filmmaker Kerianne Flynn, represented by a film reel, and journalist Lauren Sanchez represented by a character from her a kids' book she wrote. Perry's image is a firework, in a nod to her iconic song, and King, who co-hosts CBS Mornings, is depicted as a "shooting star microphone."
The Independent
19-03-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Nasa's astronauts have returned but others could be left to ‘fend for themselves'
Now back on Earth thanks to Space X 's Dragon capsule, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore will be breathing fresh air again after a gruelling nine months onboard the International Space Station. Stranded in June 2024 after their experimental Boeing Starliner spacecraft malfunctioned and was deemed too risky to carry passengers back to Earth, their stay was further extended last week when the recovery mission was postponed due to launchpad problems. A successful rescue mission will be a relief to NASA, which had the unprecedented task of figuring out how to get the astronauts home. But the crisis has also raised difficult questions about space missions and what happens if they don't go to plan. This is complicated by civilians now going into space, including actor William Shatner and business tycoons Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson. Later this year, pop star Katy Perry and talk show host Gayle King will blast off on board Blue Origin's NS-31 Mission. Corporations such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab and Virgin Galactic are increasingly at the forefront of the new space race, but they operate in a legal vacuum as well as an atmospheric one. With the law not keeping pace with this rapid rise in commercial space exploration and exploitation, just who has a duty to rescue so-called space tourists and astronauts is unclear. Urgent legal reform is needed. Privatisation of space International space law contains a special duty for countries to rescue astronauts, regardless of their nationality. According to the United Nations Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, all member countries of the treaty, not just the country that launched the mission, have a duty to take 'all necessary steps' to assist spacecraft crew in distress. This includes missions still in space as well as spacecraft that crash land in another state's territory or at sea. The state conducting the rescue mission must safely return the astronauts to Earth – and to the country they originally launched from. But it's not clear whether private space companies will have a similar duty. Some experts worry space tourists may have no real legal protection. Space law dates from the 20th century, when the 1967 Outer Space Treaty was adopted. But the original space race involved superpowers, and the possibility of corporations one day crossing the 'final frontier' wasn't even considered. So, if space tourists become stranded like Williams and Wilmore have been, there's a possibility – in law at least – they could be left to fend for themselves. Who is an 'astronaut'? Space policy experts are now calling on the international community to adopt a broad interpretation of the term 'astronaut' to ensure anyone has a right to be rescued regardless of their legal status. They're also calling for new rules to determine who is responsible for rescuing private citizens if they get into trouble. Despite the several treaties and conventions regulating space activity, none address space tourism. Currently, space tourism involves lower atmosphere travel, but SpaceX's Elon Musk has talked about sending tourists to Mars. However realistic that is, space law is struggling to keep up with such ambitions. With the rise of private space missions, there is now a strong argument for the companies involved being required to shoulder or share the associated costs and responsibilities. Described by the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs as 'envoys of humankind', astronauts undergo years of arduous training before taking part in space missions. They are acutely aware of the risks of space travel – but have embraced it. The same can't be said for civilians. Space tourism is still in its early days, but the companies promoting it will need to act responsibly and sustainably. This means making their customers aware of the dangers and implementing rescue procedures and protocols. Without proper regulatory oversight, however, space tourism companies could require prospective customers to sign legal agreements waiving their right to rescue if they are in danger. The challenge for space law now is to find a workable compromise between human safety and corporate profit motives.
