European socialists slam 'little ego trip' by all-women space crew
'This was a PR exercise scripted by a megalomaniac billionaire who does not care about the Earth, and even less so about gender equality.'
The Socialist group in the European Parliament has slammed an 11-minute trip to space by an all-women crew, saying it was a PR exercise scripted by a megalomaniac billionaire who does not care about the Earth, and even less so about gender equality.
Pop star Katy Perry joined five other women in the brief foray into space on one of billionaire Jeff Bezos's rockets on Monday.
They were Bezos's fiancée Lauren Sanchez, TV presenter Gayle King, aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
Their fully automated craft rose vertically before the crew capsule detached mid-flight, later falling back to the ground slowed by parachutes and a retro rocket.
The jubilant women then emerged, with Perry kissing the ground after exiting the capsule.
The costs of the trip were not revealed.
The Socialist Group said this 'little ego trip' in space was never about women’s empowerment or saving the planet.
"Imagine what could have been done for women’s rights and climate action with all the money and CO2 they burned for this short trip in space. We won’t be fooled, Jeff. No one will," the group said.
Some female celebrities have also criticised the trip in the media.
Model and actor Emily Ratajkowski said this was beyond parody. “You say that you care about Mother Earth, and it’s about Mother Earth, and you’re going up in a spaceship that is built and paid for by a company that’s single-handedly destroying the planet,” she added. “Look at the state of the world and think about how many resources went into putting these women into space. For what?”
Actor Olivia Munn was critical even before the flight. “I know this probably isn’t the cool thing to say, but there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now,” she said during an appearance on Today With Jenna and Friends on 3 April. “What are you guys gonna do up in space? What are you doing up there? I know this is probably obnoxious,” she continued, “but like, it’s so much money to go to space, and there’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs.”