Before You Mock Blue Origin, Take a Breath

It’s easy to scroll through social media and join the chorus of criticism – whether it’s about celebrities, space tourism – or both. The recent Blue Origin flight has been no exception. From sneers about the short duration to snarky remarks about celebrity passengers, there’s been a massive backlash. But maybe we should take a breath before launching into our knee-jerk reactions.

In the age of hot takes, it’s worth remembering how quickly we become the modern version of the old women knitting and gossiping beneath the guillotine. We love a spectacle. But the truth is often more nuanced than a tweet or viral meme can convey. For example:

Space Exploration is a Waste of Time

When people question the value of space exploration it calls to mind the scene in The Life of Brian where a rebel asks, “What have the Romans ever done for us?” only to be met with a long and impressive list: sanitation, roads, medicine, aqueducts… You get the idea. Space exploration deserves a similar moment of pause. What has it given us? Satellite communications, GPS, weather forecasting, solar panels, infrared thermometers, water purification systems, memory foam, and even improvements in medical imaging - all thanks to the demands and spin-offs of space tech. And of course – there’s the long-term goal of finding alternative accommodations if we screw-up this planet – but that’s a conversation for another day.

Space Exploration is a Waste of Money

We should have the conversation about cost – but let’s keep things in perspective. People were asking ‘why are we spending so much on this?’ even before the Apollo 11 moon landing. But here’s a fact: in 1969, American women spent more on cosmetics than the entire cost of the Apollo space program. In 2024 the U.S. beauty and personal care products market was estimated at $102.73 billion. (Source: Grand View Research.) 

It was just a Celebrity Joy Ride

Critics ask why anyone would pay to be shot into space for 11 minutes. It’s a frivolous vanity project! But each ticket sold through space tourism helps fund broader research, technology development, and scientific experiments. (On this trip the cost was covered as a space tourism promotional cost.) Yes - the civilians were chosen to bring attention to the flight and space tourism. The women were chosen for the ability to use their platforms to inspire others. These are practical and transparent business decisions.

They Made a Mockery of Real Astronauts

No one claimed this was a replacement for NASA or the ISS. Comparisons to professional astronauts, and the two astronauts recently stranded on the space station are false (but understandable) equivalences.  Blue Origin offers a different kind of access to space - brief, symbolic, and commercial. It’s a milestone, not a competition. And while it wasn't a traditional mission, the flight did carry NASA-supported research payloads and student-led projects. Not exactly nothing. 

These Flights Undermine Serious Scientists

Some argue that the focus on the celebrities undermines the contributions of female scientists - particularly Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist, and Amanda Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist who were conducting the experiments on this flight. While they may not trend on X, these women were acknowledged in legitimate reporting and have appeared in numerous interviews.

This flight allowed Nguyen to do her research and become the first Vietnamese woman in space. Bowe became the first person of Bahamian heritage to travel to space, and she was able to carry out research during the flight that looked at being able to produce crops that can withstand harsh environments.

A common complaint I’ve seen is that we should be celebrating the female scientists who paved the way, not the celebrities. But that argument overlooks an important point: many of those scientists’ names were already hidden in the shadows. Ironically, I’ve seen them mentioned more this week than ever before.

The Celebs Oversold Their Impact

Gayle King said she hoped the mission would inspire women and young girls. That comment has been ridiculed. But how could it not be inspiring to see a group of women, suited in blue, boarding a rocket and heading to the edge of space? It’s easy to dismiss the symbolic value of that image if you’ve never had to search for role models who look like you. Every member of the crew has had people reach out to them to thank them for being role models for themselves and/or their children.

They Were Too Dramatic

People poked fun at Gayle King for looking scared or Katy Perry for kissing the ground after landing - but let’s be real. Rockets explode. Flights go wrong. Their reactions were human. I’ve witnessed more extreme reactions from people disembarking from a hair-raising fairground ride.

Why would we seek to question the experience and emotions that the crew members felt? After the flight, film producer Kerianne Flynn gave an emotional interview on the impact of her actions on her son and his friends, as well as how it felt to be in the darkness looking down on the Earth. Yes, it was only for a few minutes – but take the awe that you have felt at looking up at the stars and imagine it in reverse.

Oh – and by the way - instead of referring to Lauren Sanchez as Jeff Bezos’ fiancée, why not remember that she is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author, pilot, Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, and the person who curated the all-female crew and brought the mission together?

Final Thoughts….

Humans are innately driven to explore - it’s in our DNA. From the first steps out of Africa to sailing across uncharted oceans, we’ve always pushed boundaries, chasing the unknown. Space is simply the next challenge. That same curiosity, restlessness, and desire to understand our place in the universe makes it inevitable that we will continue reaching for the stars.

There are legitimate questions to ask; about environmental impact, about who gets to decide what we do in space - and who benefits?  There’s a long list. And these are important conversations. But let’s not lose the thread entirely. Mocking the moment, the mission, or the people involved doesn’t help us get to the real answers.