It shows the disparity between the upper class and the rest of us. We are going into a recession meanwhile a bunch of rich people are getting launched into space on a billionaires vanity project. The same billionaire whose company set the frame work for rapid overconsumption.
It’s tone deaf. Space travel shouldn’t be privatized, these billionaires are trying to figure out space travel so they can escape accountability when climate change (they largely contributed to) has made earth unlivable.
I agree with you completely that’s not my gripe though with this post in particular my issue is people making it seem like getting into orbit is an easy non-challant task that shouldn’t be recognized. It took a lot of engineering behind this project and ALL we can focus on is “a pop star in space”.
We don’t know the fundamentals of how blue origin will evolve over time to transform space travel. Yes I’m sure billionaires will be the first to enjoy it but they were also the first to enjoy air travel and now we can all book a flight from our phones and it’s accessible.
Things like this ALWAYS start with the upper echelon. But we are witnessing the first real steps to public transit in space, and idk that just seems like an accomplishment to me. Yes there’s so many other things more important. Take Katy Perry out the equation and just see the missions objective.
Yeah idk. She’s a pretty trash human being. Supports Elon and a bunch of other really shitty things. And it’s just a really gross display of wealth and privilege during a time when a lot of people are really in need. Even the other women on the flight were just tourists on this unnecessary trip…
I agree and I don’t care for Katy Perry either I look at it from the perspective of the team of engineers who made this possible (some of which I’m sure have good intentions about the future of human space travel) being overshadowed by the tagline of “Katy Perry in space for 6 minutes”
I mean, this isn’t anything new. It’s been possible. The engineers didn’t do any new work or research for this. They were just doing their every day jobs. This was their 11th flight (and that’s just for this specific private company, there’s been many more). It’s a waste of resources imo.
There’s people’s whole LIVES that could be changed with what they wasted on 11 minutes near space. And that’s the part that really messes with me. Jeff Bezos also did this recently.. it’s the new tourism for the ultra wealthy. Meanwhile there’s people dying bc they can’t afford food or medicine.
I see your perspective and I agree. I’m sorry if this came across as tone deaf. My point wasn’t that I support them sending the wealthy to space, I just think there’s a lot of people who are behind this company with good intent too and work hard to engineer things like this for all of us that’s it.
I think it's warranted to be critical of a PR stunt with regressive gender politics, especially in the context of American space research being rapidly privatized into a billionaire vanity project.
That’s a fair argument but that’s not my gripe here. My issue is that all the engineers made this project possible to shape our future and instead of focusing on the future of accessible public space flight which is the goal of Blue Origin, we’re criticizing Katy Perry for going to space.
I think it's immensely credulous to believe their goal is in the public interest, or that this particular trip does anything to advance that. Regardless, all of that would be their prerogative if they weren't receiving billions of taxpayer dollars that should be going to public space research.
We will be the ones funding their business over time as the public so we are their target demographic. All forms of public transit started out as a “luxury” and made its way to the general public this is the same. Air travel used to be for the rich and here we are now booking flights on our phones.
Well. I certainly hope you're right but I don't think an optimistic far future hypothetical is enough to convince me we should give more taxpayer money to a billionaire.
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