All female space flight back safe

[robinb]

She is taking experiments with her that were designed by other people at MIT.

Hmm ... why I am getting a misogyny vibe here? You seem hell-bent on discrediting Ms. Nguyen as just another "pretty face".

https://www.media.mit.edu/posts/amanda-nguyen-carries-mit-research-projects-into-orbit/

"When Amanda Nguyen embarks on Blue Origin’s New Shepard Mission NS-31 next week, she will carry MIT research into orbit with her. Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist and former Media Lab Director’s Fellow, will bring prototypes developed by researchers in the Media Lab’s Women’s Health Program (WHx), Space Exploration Initiative (SEI), MIT Multifunctional Metamaterials Lab (MIT META), and MIT Self-Assembly Lab onto the flight. "

 

[gsdweller]

Hmm ... why I am getting a misogyny vibe here? You seem hell-bent on discrediting Ms. Nguyen as just another "pretty face".

Hmm... why are you making assumptions about my gender?
All these women are very competent and talented, but this flight has nothing to do with science. It is pure stunt/pay to play. Some of them clearly worked at NASA in the past. They may be scientists now. They were not both "NASA Scientists" when they worked at NASA.

 

[BrianL]

Hmm... why are you making assumptions about my gender?
All these women are very competent and talented, but this flight has nothing to do with science. It is pure stunt/pay to play. Some of them clearly worked at NASA in the past. They may be scientists now. They were not both "NASA Scientists" when they worked at NASA.

It can be both a "stunt" and do some real science too. Obviously there was a lot of PR around it, which I am generally all for as I support space exploration endeavors in general. I mean, okay, maybe criticise the celebrities that went up, but not hte women with legit credentials. I don't really have a problem with anyone who went - if Katy Perry wants to buy a ticket to space, more power to her. At the end of the day it's just a fun story for us to watch unfold. Congratulations to those women who took the ride to space!

 

[robinb]

Hmm... why are you making assumptions about my gender?
All these women are very competent and talented, but this flight has nothing to do with science. It is pure stunt/pay to play. Some of them clearly worked at NASA in the past. They may be scientists now. They were not both "NASA Scientists" when they worked at NASA.

I make no assumptions of your gender .

They both worked at NASA. They were both scientists while they worked there. An intern doing research at NASA on exoplanets is a scientist. A person working at Ames in flight trajectory dynamics is a scientist. Just because Space Tourism is not a 100% serious endeavor, that does not take away the qualifications of these two women have and the moniker "NASA Scientist" that they earned.

 

[princesscinderella]

This almost sounds similar to the zero G flight plane that would do parabolic arcs to simulate weightlessness for people with money to spend. It seems like a lot of money burned literally for 11 minutes. I don't think I would do this even if I could afford it, to each their own, I guess.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Good for them if they want to spend the $$$ and risk their lives doing this, not gonna judge, but I do object to the statements about how this somehow is going to fix the planet. It's a vanity project for the very wealthy and the amount of damage that each Bezos launch does to the planet far outweighs any benefit, even tangentially. If you want to, go ahead, but stop pretending this somehow is of any benefit to the rest of us.

 

[BrianL]

This almost sounds similar to the zero G flight plane that would do parabolic arcs to simulate weightlessness for people with money to spend. It seems like a lot of money burned literally for 11 minutes. I don't think I would do this even if I could afford it, to each their own, I guess.

Yeah, but the old "vomit comet" flies up to 32,000 feet and dove in arcs. The Blue Origin spacecraft went to 346,000 feet, with "space" being defined at 330,000 feet, so that's a bit different.

 

[gsdweller]

Amanda Nguyen is very accomplished, highly intelligent, and the foundation she heads is amazing. If you feel that being an intern for 4 months in the NASA Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, then 4 more months 2 years later in the Office of Communications at NASA makes her a "NASA Scientist" then I guess you can call her that as well.

 

[leebee]

I just keep thinking about the folks who decided to do "tourism" in that submarine...

 

[HopperFan]

"The flight lasted around 11 minutes and took the six women more than 100km (62 miles) above Earth, crossing the internationally recognized boundary of space and giving them a few moments of weightlessness." ~ BBC

Barely space for a few moments, total ride 11 minutes ....... Amazon looking for a little bit of attention in a news world full of others. Overall for me ...

 

[kdonnel]

The three of them are now on a very short list of people who have been to space.

I’m not sure I would have the guts to go if given the opportunity.

 

[focusondisney]

I don’t think there will be any worthwhile conclusions coming from a few experiments conducted in less than 11 minutes. I’m not excited about a few rich women taking an 11 minute joy ride. It’s their business how they spend their money but I don’t see anything newsworthy about any of it.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Yeah, but the old "vomit comet" flies up to 32,000 feet and dove in arcs. The Blue Origin spacecraft went to 346,000 feet, with "space" being defined at 330,000 feet, so that's a bit different.

 

[Genie+]

We all need to go up to space, take a quick look down at Spaceship Earth and a long stare into the pitch black void.

 

[citruscurtis]

Well...on jeopardy today...they said the will expand into a red giant and consume every thing around it and likely and eventually a.... wait for it.... wait for it...no,no,no...not a wrecking BALL....a white dwarf.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

Sounds cool, I heard this was going to happen, just didn't know when.

 

[kerry1379]

While I think much can be learned from space travel and I support it, I think this was a tremendous waste of resources. I admit to not knowing much about Blue Origin, but rocket launches generate a fair amount of pollution. I don't think I am happy about that for what can be primarily described as a joyride.

 

[Lsdolphin]

A Tower of Terror on steroids ride without the interruptions from start to finish for people with $$$$$$ to spend.

Actually I bet they were screaming plenty.

 

[barkley]

they lost me with all the p.r. that referred to all of them as 'crew'. sorry (not) but I believe that term is appropriate to a group of people who work on and/or operate a spacecraft NOT those that ride as strictly passengers. I find it offensive that this is being touted as 'the first all female crew to go to space'.

 

[Turn the Page]

Amanda Nguyen was an intern at NASA in 2011 & 2013, conducting research on exoplanets. She graduated from Harvard and is currently at MIT. She brought research up with her on the flight.

Aisha Bowe worked at the Ames Research Center in the Flight Trajectory Dynamics and Controls Branch of the Aviation Systems Division and the AST Flight and Fluid Mechanics group. She went to the University of Michigan and got her undergrad in Aerospace Engineering and her masters in Space Systems Engineering.

They both sound like "scientists" to me.

Yes but when you say "NASA scientists" people think astronauts. The weren't that. And how much research did they actually do in 11 minutes?