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Miami Herald
14-04-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Female only crew launches into space — but it's actually not the first time
Six women recently hurtled into space aboard a Blue Origin rocket, where they glimpsed the Earth from above and briefly slipped the bonds of gravity. But, they weren't the first female-only crew to voyage into the final frontier, experts said. The intrepid mission took place on April 14, beginning at a ranch in west Texas, where Blue Origin, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, has a launch site. The crew — including pop star Katy Perry, TV personality Gayle King and Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sanchez — blasted off in a New Shepard rocket at 8:30 a.m. local time. Within minutes, the automated rocket reached a maximum height of 346,802 feet or about 65 miles, surpassing the Kármán line, the commonly recognized dividing line between Earth's atmosphere and outer space. In a video posted by Blue Origin, the six women can be seen floating in the rocket's capsule, with the Earth and the moon visible from the windows. After detaching from the rocket booster, the capsule fell back to Earth — buoyed by parachutes — and touched down at 8:40 a.m. Asked to detail the experience at a press conference afterward, Sanchez called it 'profound,' adding, 'I'm completely and utterly humbled...' Describing the view of Earth from space, King said, 'It's a neon blue, and it's still and it's quiet … I know I will never forget it.' It was Blue Origin's eleventh human flight into space — and only the second female only trip. First female only trip to space 'I can confirm that this was the second ever all female space launch,' Brian Odom, NASA's chief historian, told McClatchy News. The first such flight occurred in 1963, when Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was launched on a solo mission aboard the spacecraft Vostok 6, becoming the first woman in space and the only woman to ever go alone. The vessel was piloted automatically, so she never took control over its flight, according to The total flight time lasted about 70 hours, during which Tereshkova — who was 26 years old — orbited Earth 48 times. 'Tereshkova's televised image was broadcast throughout the Soviet Union and she spoke to Khrushchev by radio,' according to the European Space Agency. 'She maintained a flight log and performed various tests to collect data on her body's reaction to spaceflight.' After about three days, the spacecraft landed near Karaganda, a city in Kazakhstan, according to NASA. Comparing Tereshkova's flight to the female-only Blue Origin trip 'is a stretch,' Roger Launius, NASA's former chief historian, told McClatchy News. Tereshkova's 'mission was the first of its kind, and it represented space exploration, emphasis on exploration, in the fullest sense of the term,' he said. In contrast, the Blue Origin flight was 'up and down only' and it left Earth's atmosphere for 'only a few minutes,' Launius said. 'It is not really space exploration but rather space tourism, and there have been many, many women before the current flight going to space.' Since Tereshkova's mission, dozens of women — including many American astronauts — have gone to space, according to the University of California.
BBC News
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Fotos: Katy Perry return to Earth afta all-female spaceflight
US Pop star Katy Perry and five oda women safely return to Earth afta dem reach space on board Jeff Bezos' rocket. Di singer join Bezos fiancée Lauren Sánchez and CBS presenter Gayle King, wey say her highlight of di flight na wen she hear Perry sing Louis Armstrong song "What a Wonderful World". Di New Shepard rocket lift off from dia West Texas launch site just afta 08:30 local time (14:30 BST). Di flight last around 11 minutes and im take di six women more dan 100km (62 miles) above Earth, e cross di internationally recognised boundary of space and e give dem a few moments of weightlessness. Also on board na former Nasa rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn. Di capsule return to Earth wit one parachute-assisted soft landing, while di rocket booster also land back for Texas. You go hear pipo dey cheer from inside di capsule as di recovery crew go to collect dem. Jeff Bezos open di capsule door to welcome back Lauren Sánchez, di first to come out. "I dey so proud of dis crew," she tok wit tears for her eyes. "I no fit put am into words." She pause, bifor she add say : "I look out of di window and we see di moon." "Earth bin look so quiet," she add say no be wetin she expect. "E dey quiet, but really alive." Next out na Katy Perry, wey kiss di ground and lift one daisy to di sky - her daughter name na Daisy. Gayle King also go on her knees and kiss di ground. "I just want to get a moment wit di ground, just appreciate di ground for just a second," she tok. Di last to come out, na Kerianne Flynn, she point to di sky and shout: "I go space." One celebrity cast bin watch di launch from di ground. Speaking from di viewing platform, Khloé Kardashian say: "I bin no realise how emotional e go be, E dey hard to explain. I get all dis adrenaline and I just dey stand hia." Di spacecraft bin dey fully autonomous, e no require pilots, and di crew bin no manually operate di vehicle. "If you bin tell me say I go dey part of di first-ever all-female crew in space, I for believe you. Nothing dey beyond my imagination as a child. Although we no grow up with much, I never stop to look di world wit hopeful WONDER!" Perry tok for her social media post prior to di launch. Blue Origin say di last all-female spaceflight na ova 60 years ago wen Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova become di first woman to travel into space on a solo mission aboard di spacecraft Vostok 6. Since den, no oda all-female spaceflights but women don make numerous significant contributions. "Di highest high. Na to surrender to di unknown," Perry tok afta she land back on Earth. Perry say she really enjoy di flight Dem ask her if she go record a song about her experience she say "100%" and she add say she feel "really connected to dat strong, divine feminine right now".
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Blue Origin's All-Female Space Flight Goes Goes Off Without a Hitch
An all-female crew accomplished a brief spaceflight on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket and capsule, the 31st such flight since its maiden flight in July 2021. The crew was a mixture of celebrities, including Katy Perry, Gayle King, and Lauren Sanchez, and scientists, such as Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist, Amanda Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist, and Kerianne Flynn, a film producer. The flight's weightlessness lasted only four minutes on the nine-minute flight to the Karman line, considered by many scientists as the dividing line of space, but the emotional impact was clear. More from Robb Report Billionaires Lose a Combined $208 Billion on the First Day of Trump's Tariffs The Top 200 Art Collectors Have Lost Billions Due to Stock Market Sell-offs A $65 Million Miami Mansion With an Aquarium So Big a Scuba Diver Has to Clean It Full of adrenaline, the women were moved to tears in interviews after landing. 'It was a feeling of joy,' said Sanchez, fiancée to Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, who was on the first flight in July 2021. Perry sang 'What a Wonderful World' during the flight. 'This is all for the benefit of Earth,' she said. 'This experience is second to being a mom.' 'I will never be the same,' added Bowe. 'There's no boundaries, no borders, just the Earth. I picked the right dream.' King, who is terrified of flying, said that 'G-force' was difficult. The CBS morning anchor, who declined to be called an 'astronaut' after only two days of training, noted the sense of sisterhood in the capsule and hopes the short flight will inspire other women toward space. The last all-female space mission happened in 1963, when Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova undertook the solo Vostok 6 mission to become the first woman in space. Despite its brevity, Blue Origin's 31st flight is noteworthy because it introduced the first set of uniforms developed for females. 'Usually, you know, these suits are made for a man,' Sanchez told The New York Times. 'Then they get tailored to fit a woman.' Five months before the flight, Sanchez reached out to Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, cofounders of Monse, and also creative directors at Oscar de la Renta. Each crew member had 3-D body scans made of their physique for the made-to-measure suits. 'Simplicity was important, and comfort, and fit,' Mr. Garcia said. 'But we also wanted something that was a little dangerous, like a motocross outfit,' Garcia told the paper. The flight suits are 'all about the four Fs: function, fashion, flare, and the future,' added Perry. In the end, functional fashion won out, but nobody really noticed the space wear with all the post-flight celebrations. Best of Robb Report The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
All-female Blue Origin crew with Bezos' fiancee, Katy Perry, Gayle King launch to space
Jeff Bezos' fiancee Lauren Sánchez led an all-female crew including pop singer Katy Perry and CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King for a short trip to space this morning. Riding on Bezos' Blue Origin's suborbital New Shepard rocket, the six women, which also included Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen and Kerianne Flynn, lifted off from the company's West Texas launch site at 9:30 a.m. EDT. This was the 11th human spaceflight for New Shepard, and 31st mission overall. The flights have sent the capsule on short 10- to 12-minute trips that lets passengers experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature of the Earth before their capsule returns for a parachute-assisted landing. They traveled above the Karman line, about 62 miles high, the internationally recognized altitude of having reached space. Screams of excitement and raucous laughter could be heard over the live stream of the launch on both the way up and on the way down. While experiencing weightlessness, though, it became quieter. 'Look at the moon,' said one of the six after reaching space. Another replied, 'Oh my goddess. That's our pink moon.' 'Oh my god,' said another. 'It's so peaceful.' Blue Origin said the capsule reached an apogee of 346,802 feet, which is more than 65 miles altitude. The entire trip too 10 minutes, 21 seconds. It was the first all-female crew to head to space since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova's solo mission when she became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963 on the Vostok 6 mission. King said she was nervous but was told by her friends to take advantage of it. 'As excited as I am, I'll be glad when we come back down,' she said ahead of the launch. Oprah Winfrey said she told her she would regret it if she didn't and didn't want to hear about it for the next 15 years. Sánchez is a former entertainment TV journalist. She organized the crew. Bowe is a former NASA rocket scientist, Nguyen a bioastronautics research scientist and Flynn built a career in fashion and then produced films including 'This Changes Everything.' This mission increased to 58 the number of humans since 2021 Blue Origin has taken to the edge of space, including four who have flown twice. Bezos was on the first one back in 2021 while other flights have taken up the likes of Star Trek's William Shatner, NFL Hall of Famer and 'Good Morning America' co-host Michael Strahan and Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of Alan Shepard, the first American in space for whom the rocket is named. He told the crew ahead of launch that the trip would be the 'most amazing, most profound experience.' 'I'm so excited for you. I don't want to get off. I want to go with you,' he said. 'When you get back I can't wait to hear how it's changed you. I love all of you. See you soon. Godspeed. Gradatim Ferociter.' Gradatim Ferociter is Blue Origin's Latin motto, that translates to 'step by step ferociously.' Bezos was at the landing site to welcome the six, first hugging Sanchez and giving her a kiss on the cheek as she asked, 'Where are my babies?' and going over to hug her children. Perry held a Daisy to the sky after exiting the capsule in honor of her daughter Daisy. She then kissed the ground once she stepped off the capsule. 'I just want to take a moment with the ground,' King said also getting on her hands and knees and kissing the dirt of the Texas dessert and scooping it up with her hands. 'Just appreciate the ground for just a second. Thank you Jesus.' Sanchez was emotional in an interview soon after. 'I don't really have words for it. I'm so proud of this crew,' she said. 'I mean Gayle, we were just talking in the capsule, doesn't even have ear piercings, she's so afraid to do anything, and she got in that capsule and I think it profoundly changed her.' 'I don't think you can describe it,' she continued. 'It was quiet, but then also really alive. You look at it, and you're like, 'We're all in this together.'' Central Florida couple Marc and Sharon Hagle were among the four who have been two-time riders, having taken the trip in both 2022 and this past November. Another Central Floridian to take the trip was Brevard County millionaire Steve Young. Blue Origin has been a fan of knocking out superlatives with its New Shepard rocket having flown the tallest (Strahan at 6 feet 5 inches tall), the oldest (90-year-old Ed Dwight Jr.) and youngest (18-year-old Oliver Daemen) people to space. The space tourism flights are just part of Bezos' company's business. It flew the much larger heavy-left New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral for the first time this past January, and has said its second will launch this spring. Also on Blue Origin's plate are plans for a commercial space station and the Blue Moon lunar lander. --------------
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Watch Live: All-female Blue Origin crew with Bezos' fiancee, Katy Perry, Gayle King set for launch today
Jeff Bezos' fiancee Lauren Sánchez is leading an all-female crew including pop singer Katy Perry and CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King for a short trip to space this morning. Riding on Bezos' Blue Origin's suborbital New Shepard rocket, the six women, which also includes Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen and Kerianne Flynn, are looking to lift off from the company's West Texas launch site during a window that opens at 9:30 a.m. EDT. This will be the 11th human spaceflight for New Shepard, and 31st mission overall. The flight sends the New Shepard capsule on a short 10- to 12-minute trip that lets passengers experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature of the Earth before their capsule returns for a parachute-assisted landing. They will travel above the Karman line, about 62 miles high, the internationally recognized altitude of having reached space. It's the first all-female crew to head to space since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova's solo mission when she became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963 on the Vostok 6 mission. King said she was nervous but was told be her friends to take advantage of it. 'As excited as I am, I'll be glad when we come back down,' she said ahead of the launch Sánchez is a former entertainment TV journalist. She organized the crew. Bowe is a former NASA rocket scientist, Nguyen a bioastronautics research scientist and Flynn built a career in fashion and then produced films including 'This Changes Everything.' This mission will increase to 58 the number of humans since 2021 Blue Origin has taken to the edge of space, including four who have flown twice. Bezos was on the first one back in 2021 while other flights have taken up the likes of Star Trek's William Shatner, NFL Hall of Famer and 'Good Morning America' co-host Michael Strahan and Laura Shepard Churchley, daughter of Alan Shepard, the first American in space for whom the rocket is named. He told the crew the trip would be the 'most amazing, most profound experience.' 'I'm so excited for you. I don't want to get off. I want to go with you,' he said. 'When you get back I can't wait to hear how it's changed you. I love all of you. See you soon. Godspeed. Gradatim Ferociter.' Gradatim Ferociter is Blue Origin's Latin motto, that translates to 'step by step ferociously.' Central Florida couple Marc and Sharon Hagle were among the four who have been two-time riders, having taken the trip in both 2022 and this past November. Another Central Floridian to take the trip was Brevard County millionaire Steve Young. Blue Origin has been a fan of knocking out superlatives with its New Shepard rocket having flown the tallest (Strahan at 6 feet 5 inches tall), the oldest (90-year-old Ed Dwight Jr.) and youngest (18-year-old Oliver Daemen) people to space. The space tourism flights are just part of Bezos' company's business. It flew the much larger heavy-left New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral for the first time this past January, and has said its second will launch this spring. Also on Blue Origin's plate are plans for a commercial space station and the Blue Moon lunar lander.
