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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesGayle King said criticism of Blue Origin’s April 14, 2025, New Shepard NS-31 flight would not take away her joy, while arguing that work in space and work on Earth need not compete. The roughly 10-minute flight carried six women; it also revived questions about the mission’s public value, environmental claims and what its planned research could demonstrate.
What happened on Blue Origin’s NS-31 flight?
Blue Origin launched New Shepard mission NS-31 from Launch Site One in West Texas on April 14, 2025. Its six passengers were Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn and Lauren Sánchez. The Associated Press reported that the fully automated flight lasted roughly 10 minutes, reached 66 miles (107 kilometers) and gave the passengers a few minutes of weightlessness. Blue Origin called it the 11th human spaceflight in the New Shepard program. Blue Origin’s mission announcement; Associated Press report.
Every passenger seat was occupied by a woman. The AP described NS-31 as the first U.S. spaceflight with women in every seat and noted that the only other all-female crew comparison in 64 years of human spaceflight was Valentina Tereshkova’s solo Soviet flight in 1963. Blue Origin likewise framed NS-31 as its first all-female flight team since Tereshkova’s solo trip. That distinction is narrower than saying women had never flown together in space.
How did Gayle King defend the flight?
In remarks after landing, King said she had heard the criticism but would not let it spoil her experience. “I’m not going to let people steal my joy,” she said, according to Vanity Fair’s account.
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King also described changing her earlier view of spending on space exploration. She recalled asking, “Why are we spending so much money on space when there’s so much to do here on Earth?” After learning more about Blue Origin and spaceflight, she said, her perspective shifted. She urged critics to investigate further, saying, “I wish people would do more due diligence.”
On CBS Mornings, King characterized space and Earth-based work as compatible: “Space is not an either or, it’s both, and because you do something in space doesn’t mean you’re taking anything away from Earth,” as CNA reported. That was her argument about the value of space activity, not a finding that this particular flight produced a measurable benefit on Earth.
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What did critics object to?
Critics questioned whether a short, high-profile celebrity excursion justified its apparent use of resources and whether its stated public purpose matched the event. Those were criticisms and questions, not independently established measurements of the flight’s cost or footprint.
- Olivia Munn questioned what the flight would accomplish for people on Earth: “Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind,” she said. “What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?” Vanity Fair reported her remarks.
- Emily Ratajkowski criticized the mission’s resource use and environmental framing, according to CNA.
- Olivia Wilde joked about the celebrity reaction images, also reported by CNA.
The exchange is partly about symbolism: an all-women passenger crew can carry representational significance even as critics ask what practical outcomes justify a mission. Neither the symbolism nor the criticism settles the other question.
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What research was planned, and what is known about results?
Before launch, Blue Origin said Aisha Bowe planned to conduct three experiments, including studies related to plant biology and human physiology. Blue Origin described Amanda Nguyễn as a bioastronautics research scientist. King referred after the flight to passengers conducting experiments, but the cited reporting does not establish that the planned work was completed as intended or document findings. A planned experiment is not itself evidence of a result or of a benefit to the public. Blue Origin’s mission information.
The passengers’ presence should also be distinguished from professional astronaut duties: the sources describe an automated passenger flight and planned research activity, not a crewed operational mission. The available accounts do not provide a basis for treating all six passengers as performing the same role.
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What is established about cost and environmental impact?
The AP reported that Blue Origin declined to disclose how much the flight cost or who paid what. The sources cited here also do not provide an independent, mission-specific environmental-impact assessment or a net-impact calculation. King’s argument about space work and Earth work, and Blue Origin’s stated aims, should therefore be read as positions in the debate rather than proof of the flight’s environmental or practical outcome.
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