Putting the ass in astronaut
(The one where space tourism does a feminism)
Last week, Amazon founder and candidate for Most Midlife Crisis Man, Jeff Bezos, sent his fiancée and five of her friends on a ten-minute, forty-second flight, which allowed for about four minutes of weightlessness. How did they spend this precious time?
Doing PR for a tour. Freaking out. Conducting a science experiment.
You might notice that one of these things is not like the others, and that’s because, for all the controversy about this sub-eleven-minute flight in a d*ck-shaped rocket, civil rights activist and bioastronautics researcher Amanda Nguyen is above reproach. She has worked for years to find her way to space, including training at the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences. I don’t fault her for accepting the invitation and making the most of it.
But I think it is fair, and frankly appropriate, to critique how this whole endeavor felt like an incredibly expensive advertisement for Bezos’ space tourism company, Blue Origin, and how cynical this version of “feminism” is. It’s hard to square cheering on a girls’ trip to the Karman line when women in the United States are having their rights eroded on a daily basis.
Whether it’s the right to make medical decisions, the potential disenfranchisement of millions of women’s right to vote, or cuts to research that studies women’s health… honestly, I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
The other part of this “space mission” I take exception with is the idea that they are now “astronauts.” Real astronauts at both NASA and commercial space companies train for years to complete their missions. How long did five of the six women “train?” Three days.
The book I’m working on (my fifth!) is loosely inspired by the two astronauts stranded at the International Space Station for months. Before drafting, I spent months researching human spaceflight, reading four astronaut biographies, and an excellent nonfiction book on the Challenger disaster. The rigor of the training required is unbelievable, and there’s a reason only a select few have the temperament and aptitude for long-duration human spaceflight.
So, what we witnessed last week wasn’t the great achievement in Girl Power that they clearly hoped. I wish those who participated had spent as much time focusing on making Earth better for women, rather than the cynical belief that things have gotten so bad that the most feminist act would be to leave our planet entirely.
What I’m Reading
I devoured the angsty, nostalgia bomb Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley. It’s the will-they-won’t-they (should-they) story of music-lover Percy and musician Joe set in the early aughts in Berkeley, NYC, and San Francisco. I loved it so much!
What I’m Eating
I’m always looking for new salmon recipes, and this one (with a crisp slaw) didn’t disappoint. Enjoy!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 (Also: candidate for Most Midlife Crisis Man 💀)
Perfectly stated! Also 👏 on the new WIP!