Jessica Alba and Ana Navarro Slam Critics of Their Blue Origin Space Adventure!

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Jessica Alba and Ana Navarro want the Blue Origin critics to take a step back.

As a dedicated follower, I’d like to rephrase the given sentence in a more natural and easy-to-read first-person style:

On April 14th, I joined a group of remarkable women, including Gayle King, Katy Perry, philanthropist Lauren Sánchez, rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, scientist Amanda Nguyen, and film producer Kerianne Flynn, who were criticized for their involvement in the 11-minute space flight. Here’s a message I want to share with those critics.

Ana posted on Instagram on the 16th of April, ‘I’ve encountered countless criticisms about five women pursuing their space endeavors.’ I don’t understand how this is relevant to our daily lives.

The political advisor expressed a desire that more people would show the same level of enthusiasm and concentration towards President Donald Trump, whose policies she has frequently spoken against.

In response, Jessica reposted Ana’s message on her own Instagram Story using a pointing finger emoji and simply saying “This.” in her caption.

Ana and Jessica’s defense arises amidst the criticism that followed the six women who took a short journey into space onboard the New Shepard capsule.

Emily Ratajkowski expressed her displeasure towards Blue Origin’s founder Jeff, regarding the spaceflight, which she later clarified. On the other hand, Amy Schumer joked about the mission, and Olivia Munn labeled the space journey as extravagant or excessive.

Still, Gayle nor Lauren allowed the critics affect their mood about the experience.

King stated to People after her return on April 14, “Anyone voicing criticism doesn’t fully grasp the situation here. We can all relate to the reaction young women and girls are expressing about what this symbolizes.

Lauren motivated those with differing views on the project to examine the exceptional work being carried out by the team members instead.

She shared with People, “I’d be thrilled if they could visit Blue Origin and witness the dedicated team who don’t just work here, but pour their heart and soul into this project. These employees truly value their work and the mission, and it holds significant importance to them.

For more on the Blue Origin crew members, keep reading…

Established by Jeff Bezos, who is associated with Amazon, in 2000, Blue Origin functions as a private space corporation based in Kent, Washington. As stated on their official site, their mission revolves around utilizing the resources of space to benefit our planet and expanding human presence in space through improved transportation means and establishing habitable destinations in low Earth orbit.

Blue Origin is working towards these objectives by developing reusable rockets and engines with the aim of reducing the expenses related to space travel, making it more affordable for the public, and fostering sustainability. In a 2016 talk at the Pathfinder Awards, Bezos stated, “Our vision is to have millions of people living and working in space.” By focusing on reusability, he aims to drastically decrease the cost of traveling to space.

Although Blue Origin doesn’t publish prices for booking a seat on their flights, they do require a $150,000 deposit.

Named after renowned astronaut Alan Shepard, who made history as the first American in space in 1961, Blue Origin’s spacecraft, named New Shepard, is described as a “completely reusable, autonomous suborbital rocket system designed for human flight.”

New Shepard can accommodate six individuals in its pressurized crew capsule. However, unlike traditional spacecraft, there is no pilot seat. Instead, the vehicle operates autonomously without any pilots on board.

The New Shepard made its debut in 2015 as part of a test flight program consisting of sixteen successful tests, which were completed in 2021.

In July of that year, founder Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark joined the crew for New Shepard’s inaugural human flight, along with an auction winner who paid an impressive $28 million for their seat. Later that year, William Shatner and Michael Strahan were among other passengers to embark on the vehicle (on separate missions).

The upcoming mission will be New Shepard’s 31st overall (hence its 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 West Texas desert. According to the company’s website, the launch window opens at 8:30 a.m. CDT on April 14.

According to Blue Origin’s website, astronauts aboard New Shepard rocket ascend swiftly at over three times the speed of sound. They surpass the Kármán line, which is recognized internationally as the boundary of space, located approximately 62 miles (100 km) above Earth. Once they pass this point, they can unfasten their safety belts to experience weightlessness and marvel at our planet. The journey concludes smoothly as they descend under parachutes. In terms of duration, the company indicates that the entire trip should last around 11 minutes.

 

The team for mission NS-31 includes 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. Notably, this will be the first all-female spaceflight crew since 1963 when Valentina Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, embarked on a solo mission to become the first woman in space.

In particular, Nguyen is set to make history as the first Vietnamese woman to travel to space, and Bowe will be etched in history as the first person of Bahamian descent to venture where few have gone before.

Each team member has their unique motivations for joining this expedition. For example, Perry desires to inspire her daughter Daisy, whom she shares with fiancé Orlando Bloom, by demonstrating that regardless of one’s background, ethnicity, economic status, or education level, anyone can achieve their dreams. King, who has openly shared her apprehensions, aims to motivate people to venture beyond their comfort zones. Meanwhile, Nguyen sees this opportunity as a chance to realize a long-deferred dream. After facing gender-based violence and dedicating years to fighting for sexual assault survivors’ rights, she now wishes to honor the person she was before her trauma by pursuing her passion for astronomy.

As reported by Good Morning America, every team member is scheduled to travel to the launch site early prior to the mission, where they’ll participate in various training activities. These sessions will involve getting tailored for their flight suits, acquainting themselves with the spacecraft, learning effective communication techniques with ground control, and reviewing safety procedures thoroughly.

Despite the crew being collectively prepared for the mission, certain members took it upon themselves to conduct additional preparations independently prior to launch.

For instance, Bowe intensified his training a year before the mission, which included a NASTAR simulation that mimicked flight conditions. He also scheduled a fighter jet flight, expressing excitement about the experience. Moreover, Flynn mentioned she underwent several zero-gravity simulation flights, where a Boeing 747 was flown in a parabolic pattern to simulate weightlessness for the crew. This exercise helped them adapt to the sensation of weightlessness they would encounter during the flight. Additionally, Flynn completed NASTAR training in Philadelphia, where she experienced up to five Gs of pressure.

Here are some of the things each woman is taking with them:

* Nancy Conrad, who is married to Pete Conrad, the third man to walk on the moon, is a mentor and inspiration to Bowe. She has given her an Apollo 12 flag that was used during the Apollo 12 mission.
* Bowe is also taking plant samples from Winston-Salem State University’s Astrobotany Lab and dehydrated conch chowder as a nod to The Bahamas.
* Nguyen is bringing personal items with her, including shells from the island that her mother is a refugee from and a promise she made to herself after being assaulted. She wrote down “Never ever give up” after leaving the hospital, and she has taped it to her laptop and looks at it every day when she was graduating and fighting for her rights.
* According to her Instagram, Nguyen is also bringing the pen former president Obama used to sign the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Act, a coin from the Nguyen dynasty, and Freetown cotton tree seeds.

In addition, King is bringing photos with her, and Sánchez is carrying a stuffed animal of the character Flynn from her children’s book The Fly Who Flew to Space.

Some stars have sent encouraging messages to the crew—with King receiving a farewell video from CBS Mornings featuring Tom Hanks, Megan Rapinoe, Bill Nye, Drew Barrymore, among others.

“Good luck,” said the actress from Charlie’s Angels, “I can hardly wait to pick your brain as soon as you return home.”

Others, like Olivia Munn, have expressed skepticism.

“What are they doing? Why?” she said on Today with Jenna & Friends on April 3. “I know this might not be the popular opinion, but there are so many other pressing issues in the world right now.”

The actress from X-Men: Apocalypse then raised concerns about cost.

“This might sound obnoxious,” she continued, “but it’s so expensive to go to space, and there are people who can’t even afford basic necessities like eggs.”

Munn also questioned the purpose of the mission.

“What’s the point?” she added. “Is it significant that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s excessive.”

King acknowledges the criticism directed at billionaire Bezos and the perception that this mission is merely an advertisement for him and Blue Origin.

“I understand the concerns,” she told CBS Mornings on April 11. “There have been some questionable decisions made, but in this specific instance, I believe this goes beyond one man and one company. I’ve chosen to view it as two separate matters. It’s not a win-lose situation. You can engage in both activities and still be true to both.

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2025-04-17 21:48