This episode we discuss the recent suborbital flight by Blue Origin, which featured an all-female passenger list. The flight, lasting only 11 minutes, apparently aimed to promote STEM education, cultural representation, and scientific research. The public's reaction was mixed, with some viewing it as a marketing stunt and others celebrating the achievement.
Its safe to say we are sceptical about the flight's impact, questioning the environmental emissions and the true scientific value of the mission. Also, we discuss the definition of \"astronaut\" and whether the crew qualifies, given they only reached suborbital space and did 2 days of training. It makes us wonder - if we do 2 days of intense first-aid training, are we allowed to call ourselves paramedics? (Spoiler - definitely not!)
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Content outlined and presented by Brenda Finney and Frances Hall.
Music from audiojungle.net – Konstantin Kasyanov
Links:
1. https://www.media.mit.edu/posts/amanda-nguyen-carries-mit-research-projects-into-orbit/
2. https://observer.com/2023/06/blue-origin-passenger-list/
3. https://www.blueorigin.com/new-shepard/reserve-a-seat
4. Wikipedia – for biographical information on passengers
5. Aishabowe.com
6. https://www.nasa.gov/reference/jsc-crew-operations-training/
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