Jeff Bezos Couldn’t Qualify for Normal Astronaut Wings, So Blue Origin Invented Its Own – Futurism

Along with three other passengers, Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos rocketed high into the upper atmosphere on what the company is calling its first crewed mission to space.

The companys New Shepard rocket,dubbed the RSS First Step, launched from the West Texas desert and reached three Gs and a blistering speed of 2,233 mph during the trip.

Its actually a pleasurable experience, Bezos said during a press conference following the launch. He also noted that his expectations were dramatically exceeded and that zero gravity felt so normal.

During the press junket, Bezos, his brother, 18-year-old Oliver Daemon, and 82-year-old pilot veteran Wally Funk got their Blue Origin astronaut wings, awarded by Jeff Ashby, former NASA Space Shuttle astronaut and Blue Origins chief of mission assurance.

In reality, its arguably a bit of a stretch to use the term astronaut here. If you zoom out, it looks an awful lot like Bezos and co couldnt qualify for normal astronaut wings so it invented its own.

To be sure, the United States Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps award the astronaut badge to those who fly above just 50 miles.

But while the rockets passengers successfully traveled to 62 miles, an arbitrary line drawn by the Fdration aronautique internationale (FAI) over half a century ago, they were passengers, not actual crew members.

The use of the term is controversial, considering the four were taken for a ten minute joyride and werent ever in control over the vehicle.

None of them became NASA astronauts today, eitherdespite the fact that Funk more than deserves her certification after being put through the space agencys rigorous Woman in Space Program gauntlet in the early 1960s, even though none of the program participants were ever selected to go to space.

NASA reserves the right to award the wings to only those who complete a set of specific requirements. Eligible US citizens need to possess a masters degree in a STEM field, have two years of relevant professional experience or complete at least 1,000 hours pilot-in-command time on jet aircraft.

They also need to be able to pass the NASA long-duration flight astronaut physical, which, among many other things, requires them to have 20/20 vision, a blood pressure of below 140/90 while sitting and a standing height between 62 and 75 inches, according to official documentation.

The crew also missed the chance to be awarded wings designed for those who fly to space on commercial spacecraft. Bezos and company didnt end up qualifying for the Federal Aviation Administrations (FAA) Commercial Astronaut Wings, due to the fact they were passengers, not flight crew.

The FAAs Commercial Astronaut Wings Program was designed to recognize flight crewmembers who further the FAAs mission to promote the safety of vehicles designed to carry humans, according to the agencys website.

Crews have to demonstrate a safe flight and return from space on a mission licensed by the FAA. They also have to meet other specific requirements for flight crew qualifications, including the ability to withstand the stresses of space flight, which may include high acceleration or deceleration, microgravity, and vibration, as well as training and flying above 50 miles above the surface of Earth.

The FAA awarded the first Commercial Astronaut Wings licensefor the launch of the spaceplane SpaceShipOne (SS1) back in 2004, an aircraft launch system now operated by Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic.

The FAA also approved todays Blue Origin launch last week but despite the approval, the administrations wings are still out of reach for Bezos and company.

The administration also requires crew members to perform a job while on the flight to qualify as flight crew and dont award them to spaceflight participants, CNN reports.

Branson, interestingly, did qualify for FAA wings during his maiden voyage earlier this month, as he was tasked with evaluating the private customer experience during the launch.

In fact, Virgin Galactic pilots Mark Forger Stucky and CJ Sturckow were also awarded FAA Commercial Astronaut Wings by the US Department of Transportation after flying the spaceship VSS Unity into space, an apogee of 51.4 miles, back in 2018.

Blue Origins New Shepard spacecraft flew entirely autonomously today, meaning that nobody on board had to act as the pilot or flight crew, as Axios points out.

18-year-old Oliver Daemon, son of a equity firm CEO, who bought himself a ticket on the flight, wont get the FAAs astronaut wings either.

So its no wonder that Blue Origin, a company that tasked itself with sending wealthy paying customers to the edge of space, had to come up with an alternative solution: its own astronaut wings.

Its certainly a very generous use of the term that is bound to ruffle some weathers, particularly when it comes to those who committed much of their life to further space exploration over decades.

A ten minutes and ten seconds-long thrill ride just doesnt really compare.

More on the launch: 82-Year-Old Woman Becomes Oldest Person in Space

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Jeff Bezos Couldn't Qualify for Normal Astronaut Wings, So Blue Origin Invented Its Own - Futurism