Singer Katy Perry and fellow crew members are about to reach for the stars- literally. But Perry’s mind is focused a little closer to home.
Perry will be aboard the Blue Origin rocket ship âNew Shepherd-31,â alongside an an all-female crew that includes talk show host Gayle King, and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezosâ fiancée Lauren Sánchez. Former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer Kerianne Flynn round out the crew set to launch April 14.
In a joint interview with “Elle,” the women of New Shepherd-31 mused on what it’s like to be a mom taking such a journey. Filmmaker Kerianne Flynn said, “It just feels like itâs not something that women were known for doingâgoing to space. Moms donât do it. And so now I have the opportunity as a female filmmaker to be part of this incredible crew, to actually go to space and bring that experience back.”
“Guess what? Moms go to space,” chimed in Lauren Sánchez.
To which Perry added, “[My daughter] Daisy wants to go, but she wants the rocket to be pink.”
And in a video interview with âElle,â Perry says, “I’m not spending any time worrying. That worry can steal your joy. This is exciting. And my nieces are so excited. My daughter, she’s so excited… you know, I’m just so excited to see the inspiration through her eyes and the light in her eyes when she sees the rocket go and goes back to school the next day and says ‘mom went to space.’”
Gayle King Is Less Relaxed Than Katy Perry About the Trip
“CBS Mornings” host Gayle King is less laid back than Perry. She told her fellow crewmates, “My kids are potty-trained and grown, but their opinion matters to me. So if either one of them had said, ‘No, Iâm worried. I donât think you should do it,’ I wouldnât be, but they both thought it was very cool. My grandson, whoâs three and a half, thinks itâs the coolest thing. He will be there at the launch. He already has a little astronaut uniform.”
“Grandmas go to space too!” former “American Idol” judge Katy Perry replied.
The space flight will only take about 11-minutes as it climbs 62-miles above the surface to the limits of Earthâs atmosphere. It will not actually enter orbit.
King says she called Perry to discuss her nerves about taking the trip, saying, âWe had been on the phone for 36 minutes, and Iâd asked her 50 million questions, until finally she said, âCould I just interrupt for a second? Are you aware that our flight is going to be shorter than this freaking phone call?ââ
Blue Origin Crew Will Have the Experience of a Lifetime
All six women will be passengers on the rocket, which flies itself. According to Blue Origin, it will travel at more than three times the speed of sound, passing the Kármán line, which is the internationally recognized boundary of space 62 miles above the earth. Once they reach space, they will achieve weightlessness and be allowed to unbuckle and float around the rocket, looking out windows at the earth below.
They’ll have about four minutes to take it all in before coming back down to earth under parachutes.
The launch window will open up at 8:30a.m. CT/9:30a.m. ET on Monday, April 14. Blue Origin plans a live webcast of the flight, with details to come at blueorigin.com.
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