Blue Origin’s historic all-female space crew is speaking out.
Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, and Kerianne Flynn came together for the very first time for a special Elle April digital cover, out now.
The flight is set to take off on April 14, and is the first crew made up solely of women since Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova’s solo space flight in 1963.
The entire trip is expected to last 11 minutes, and the women will be going up in a rocket that flies itself.
Click through to find out what they had to say…
Katy Perry: “I was like, What am I going to wear? But seriously, I have wanted to go to space for almost 20 years. I was investigating all of the possible commercial options. Even when Blue Origin was first talking about commercial travel to space, I was like, ‘Sign me up! I’m first in line.’ And then they called me, and I was like, ‘Really? I get an invite?’ And I really felt very sure when they sent me the picture of the space pod, because on the front of the pod is a feather, and that’s my mom’s nickname for me.”
Gayle King: “I’m probably the only one at the table who wasn’t saying, ‘Put me in, coach.’ I had a lot of trepidation—I still do—but I also know it’s very interesting to be terrified and excited at the same time. I haven’t felt like this since childbirth, really. Because I knew childbirth was going to hurt. But it’s also stepping out of your comfort zone.”
Aisha Bowe: I wanted to go to space, but I didn’t think it was possible. I was afraid to do it. I was afraid to even dream about it. And so when I got the call, I realized that it wasn’t ‘No’ back then—it was ‘Not right now,’ and now is the time.”
Amanda Nguyen: “It’s a dream come true, and for me it was a dream deferred. I worked at NASA, I studied the stars—astrophysics at Harvard and MIT—but life got in the way. Gender-based violence is a big reason why so many women in STEM don’t continue on with their training, and I was one of those women. After I was sexually assaulted, I traded my telescope to fight for my rights as a sexual assault survivor. I drafted the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights, passed it in Congress and at the United Nations. And then, after 10 years, I was like, I want to honor the person that I was before I was hurt.”
Kerianne Flynn: “I’ve been waiting to do this for a long time. I grew up in a small town in Michigan, and I always looked up at the stars with my grandfather. I can’t wait to touch down on Earth and share what we bring back with the world.”
On making history:
Amanda Nguyen: “My parents are boat refugees from Vietnam. We came on boats, and now we’re on spaceships. I’m just so grateful for the opportunity and to do it with such icons.”
Gayle King: “[Most people at this table are saying], “This has been a dream of mine.” I can honestly say it has never been a dream of mine. But I was having a conversation with Katy, and she said, ‘Well, maybe you need to get different dreams.’ And I just thought, Wow.’”
Lauren Sánchez: “I thought becoming a pilot was a huge dream, and that happened and it was amazing, but I never dreamed of going to space. I didn’t even think it was a possibility. Ever. And now I’m like, Oh my gosh, we’re actually doing it. Jeff [Bezos] was telling Katy and myself: ‘It’s going to change you more than you know.’”
On whom they dedicate the flight to:
Amanda Nguyen: “I’m flying for two people—one of course is my community, as the first Vietnamese woman. The other are survivors of sexual violence. For so many of us, healing is such a difficult path that we don’t know if we’re ever going to make it through. And when I look at that note, I hope that is a healing moment for me. It will be a full circle moment that I can share with other survivors—your dreams still matter; the person you were before you were hurt still matters. And not only do your dreams still matter, they can come true—even flying in space.”
Aisha Bowe: “I’m dedicating this flight to everybody who was told their dream was too big.”
Kerianne Flynn: “I’m doing this to leave a legacy for my family. I’m doing it for my son. We are the future of space travel. I want to leave something for my son to be proud of and want to be an inspiration for any future generations.”
Katy Perry: “I’m flying for my daughter, Daisy, to inspire her to never have limits on her dreams and show her that any type of person can reach their dreams—no matter your background, your ethnicity, your economic situation, or your education level. She’s already such a big dreamer and she’s only four. But also to inspire a whole new generation and make space and science glam.”
Lauren Sánchez: “For the next generation of explorers. There are going to be children out there who are going to see this incredible group of explorers and go, ‘I want to do that.’”
Click through to keep reading…
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