After her historic Blue Origin flight with the first all-female crew, Gayle King addressed the doubters.
“Space is a both and, not an either or, and doing something in space does not imply stealing something from Earth. During the show on Tuesday, April 15, King stated, “And what you’re doing in space is trying to make things better here on Earth.”
Selfies in zero gravity weren’t the only purpose of the trip, which on Monday featured a brief jump to the edge of space.
“In order to keep our world cleaner, Blue Origin intends to take the garbage here and find a means to send it into space. The employees of Jeff Bezos are truly committed to improving the state of our world, and he has a wealth of ideas. Number one is that.
“You know, I’m really saddened and disappointed by it [the criticism].” Additionally, I ask what it is doing to motivate young girls and other women. Don’t disregard that, please. In addition to guys, I’ve received a lot of messages from ladies and young girls. “Wow, I could do that, but I see you doing it at this stage of your life,” men also comment.
“Anybody that’s criticizing it doesn’t really understand what is happening here,” she also said earlier this week in an interview with People.
Despite being short—roughly 11 minutes—the Blue Origin mission was powerful. In addition to King, the pioneering all-female team comprised film producer Kerianne Flynn, bioastronautics specialist Amanda Nguyen, philanthropist Lauren Sanchez, rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and Katy Perry.
Supported by Jeff Bezos, the creator of Amazon and Sanchez’s fiancé, the launch was a component of Blue Origin’s broader goal to advance environmentally friendly space travel.
However, the internet (as well as several celebrities) were less enamored with King and crew’s “view from above.”
Earlier this month, Olivia Munn sparked controversy on Today with Jenna & Friends by referring to the goal as “a bit gluttonous.”
“What’s the point? “Are you guys going on a ride historic?” she said. “The goal of space exploration was to benefit humanity and increase our understanding. What will they do up there that has improved our situation down here?
Reposting a meme of Perry kissing the earth after landing with the caption, “getting off a commercial flight in 2025 #BlueOrigin,” Olivia Wilde joined the online eye-roll.
In her Instagram Story, Wilde said, “I guess a billion dollars bought some good memes.”
Additionally, Emily Ratajkowski offered some social media criticism, focusing on Perry’s remarks on the environment.
In a TikTok video, she questioned, “Going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that is single-handedly destroying the planet, and saying that you care about Mother Earth, and it’s about Mother Earth?”
“Considering the current state of the world, consider how much money and effort were used to send these women into space, and for what purpose?”
Gayle King is steadfast in her conviction that the journey has significance beyond the atmosphere, even in the face of criticism.
