Emily Ratajkowski Slams Blue Origin Spaceflight as ‘End Time St’

by

Emily Ratajkowski was not blown away by the Blue Origin space launch.

Time elapsed since the groundbreaking NS-31 mission by Blue Origin’s exclusively female crew featuring Katy Perry and Gayle King, saw the celebrity voice her underwhelmed feelings post-launch.

Emily stated in a video uploaded on April 14th to TikTok, “The space mission this morning is something straight out of the end times; it’s too absurd for satire.

In fact, the individual who’s 33 years old expressed dissatisfaction with the participants of the brief interstellar journey that lasted around 10 minutes.

She went on to say, ‘If you claim to cherish Mother Earth, then your stance seems contradictory given that you’re traveling in a spacecraft financed by a corporation wreaking havoc on our planet?’

Consider the current global situation and reflect on the amount of resources used to send those female astronauts into space,” she continued. “What was the purpose behind this, one might ask? What role did advertising play in it?

Meanwhile, Emily expressed her strong disapproval by saying she was “appalled” by the task at hand, whereas Amy Schumer and Olivia Wilde opted for a humorous tone in their criticisms.

Amy playfully stated in an Instagram video, “Looks like I’m off to outer space!” She humorously included a Black Panther figurine in her remark, saying, “I’ll be taking this along for the ride. It doesn’t hold any significance to me, but it was in my bag when I got a text saying, ‘Would you like to go to space?’ So, apparently, I’m going to space.

“Thank you to everyone who got me here,” the comedian added. “I’ll see you guys in space.”

However, despite facing criticism, the women on the spacecraft – which included Jeff Bezos’ wife Lauren Sánchez, rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, scientist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn – held their heads high with pride. For Gayle, the overwhelmingly positive responses they’ve received far surpass any negative comments.

The person criticizing it simply doesn’t grasp the situation,” she said after her Earth return, as reported by People. “What’s significant here is evidently resonating with young women and girls.

And for her part, Lauren shared that the criticism got her “really fired up.”

He expressed his wish for them to visit Blue Origin, not just because of the numerous team members there, but because each individual pours their heart and spirit into this project. These employees are passionate about their work and deeply invested in our mission, which is significant to them.

When such comments are made,” she went on, “I simply respond, ‘Take my word for it. Let’s explore this together. It’s quite enlightening.’

For more on the star-studded Blue Origin mission, keep reading.

Established by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos in 2000, Blue Origin functions as a private space enterprise headquartered in Kent, Washington. As stated on their official site, the mission of this organization is to capitalize on the resources of space to benefit Earth and expand human presence beyond our planet through enhanced transportation and the development of habitable destinations in low Earth orbit.

Blue Origin is working towards these objectives by constructing reusable rockets and engines to decrease the financial burden of space travel, increase accessibility for civilians, and promote sustainability. During a 2016 Pathfinder Awards talk, Bezos shared his vision: “We envision millions of people living and working in space.” He emphasized the importance of reducing the cost of space travel by focusing on reusability.

At this time, it’s important to note that there are no prices listed for booking a seat on a Blue Origin flight on their website; however, they do require an initial deposit of $150,000.

Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, who made history as the first American to travel to space in 1961, Blue Origin refers to New Shepard as a “completely reusable, autonomous suborbital rocket system designed for human spaceflight.”

New Shepard’s pressurized crew capsule accommodates six individuals. However, you won’t find a pilot seat because the vehicle is fully automated – there are no pilots.

New Shepard debuted in 2015 as part of a testing program that included 16 successful flights, all completed by 2021. In July of that year, New Shepard embarked on its first human flight, with Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark, and an auction winner (who paid $28 million for the seat) aboard. Later in the same year, William Shatner and Michael Strahan were among the passengers to travel in New Shepard (on separate missions).

The upcoming mission will be New Shepard’s 31st overall (hence the name NS-31), and its 11th human flight.

The NS-31 mission of New Shepard is set to take off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One, nestled within the Guadalupe Mountain range in the desert of West Texas. According to the company’s website, the launch window opens at 8:30 a.m. (Central Daylight Time) on April 14th.

According to Blue Origin’s website, the New Shepard astronauts climb towards space at a speed over three times faster than sound. They surpass the Kármán line, which is universally recognized as the boundary of space located 62 miles (or approximately 100 km) above Earth. Once they pass this point, they can unbuckle and experience weightlessness, enjoying a view of our planet. Upon completion of their journey, they descend back to Earth slowly under parachutes. The total duration of the trip is estimated to be about 11 minutes.

 

The team for mission NS-31 comprises singer Katy Perry, CBS Mornings host Gayle King, film producer Kerianne Flynn, STEMBoard founder Aisha Bowe (formerly of NASA), bioastronautics research scientist and activist Amanda Nguyen, and former TV anchor Lauren Sánchez (who is engaged to Bezos). Notably, this will be the first all-female spaceflight crew since 1963, when Valentina Tereshkova of the Soviet Union embarked on a solo mission and became the first woman in space.

In this mission, Nguyen will make history as the first Vietnamese woman to travel to space, while Bowe will be etched in history as the first individual of Bahamian heritage to venture where few have gone before.

Every individual on the team has their unique motivations for joining this expedition. For instance, Perry intends to inspire her daughter Daisy, whom she shares with partner Orlando Bloom, by demonstrating that regardless of one’s background, ethnicity, economic status, or educational level, anyone can achieve their dreams. King, who openly admitted her apprehension, aims to motivate people to venture beyond their comfort zones. She asserts that once she does so, it will pave the way for others who were hesitant but now feel inspired and excited to follow suit. Lastly, Nguyen sees this opportunity as a chance to realize a long-held dream. After her career at NASA and studying astrophysics at Harvard and MIT was derailed by life events, she fought for sexual assault survivors’ rights and eventually returned to her passion for space exploration after a decade-long hiatus.

As reported by Good Morning America, each crew member is scheduled to travel to the launch site prior to the mission, where they’ll participate in training workshops. These sessions will involve getting tailored for their flight suits, familiarizing themselves with the capsule, learning effective communication strategies with ground control, and reviewing safety procedures.

Although the crew as a whole had been preparing for the mission, certain individuals took independent steps to prepare themselves beforehand. For instance, Bowe mentioned that he’d stepped up his training over the past year, culminating in a NASTAR simulation and a scheduled fighter jet flight. Similarly, Flynn disclosed her experience with several zero-gravity simulation flights and the NASTAR training in Philadelphia, where she encountered up to five Gs of pressure.

1. Nancy Conrad, who is the wife of Pete Conrad, the third man to walk on the moon, serves as a mentor and inspiration for Bowe. She said, “Your journey parallels Pete’s in so many ways, and so I want you to carry this flag.” Thanks to the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Bowe will have the Apollo 12 flag with her during the mission.

2. In addition to this, Bowe is also taking along plant samples from Winston-Salem State University’s Astrobotany Lab and dehydrated conch chowder as a tribute to The Bahamas.

3. Nguyen plans to bring personal items with her on the mission. She mentioned to ELLE that she will have her mother’s shells from the island she’s a refugee from, as well as a promise she made to herself after her assault. After leaving the hospital, she wrote down “Never ever give up” and taped it to her laptop. She looked at it every day during graduation and while fighting for her rights, and will continue to look at it during the flight.

4. According to Nguyen’s Instagram, she is also taking along the pen that former president Barack Obama used to sign the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Act, a coin from the Nguyen dynasty, and Freetown cotton tree seeds.

Some stars have shared encouraging messages for the crew – with King receiving a farewell video from CBS Mornings, featuring Tom Hanks, Megan Rapinoe, Bill Nye, Drew Barrymore, among others. The Charlie’s Angels actress said, “Good luck,” and added, “I can’t wait to pick your brain as soon as you get home.” Other celebrities like Olivia Munn have voiced criticism, saying on Today with Jenna & Friends, “What are they doing? Like why?” She also mentioned concerns about cost, stating that it is expensive to go to space and there are people who can’t even afford basic necessities. She questioned the purpose of the mission, asking, “What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous.” King acknowledged the criticism regarding Bezos and Blue Origin, stating that while there have been questionable decisions made, in this particular case, the focus should be on the mission’s larger significance. She argued that it is possible to support both the space mission and other causes simultaneously.

Read More

2025-04-15 16:47