The bottom line is that there is no relevant federal definition of an astronaut. Duffy’s own agency certainly doesn’t claim responsibility for making that designation.
Regardless, it’s not really his call. You may not like Perry’s music or her association with Dr. Luke. But if she wants to call herself an astronaut, there’s no one who can tell her she’s not. Personally, I’m happy to call her one, along with the many other amazing women who have only reached space in the last few years because of the suborbital space tourism vehicles developed by Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic. The more the merrier.
I find it much better to live in a world where space tourism is actually happening, rather than one in which it is not.
I’m fine with not calling people who are space tourists “astronauts”, but we gotta apply it equally. Bezos isn’t an astronaut, and neither is Shatner (who I would argue probably has the best claim to the title among all space tourists).
I checked different sources on shattners space flight, and I couldnt find one that calls him an astronaut.
Heres the ones that meantioned the word astronaut.
William Shatner is probably the most famous astronaut in the world. But of course, he’s not an astronaut. He’s an actor. The 91-year-old Canadian has been an icon since he played Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek series, which debuted in 1966. But Captain Kirk, er, William Shatner, did actually go to space — last year,
Again, this is a man who has spent much of his life thinking about space—not as an astronaut or astronomer or astrophysicist, but as a human being stuck on the Earth’s surface, struck with wonder about what’s out there. He explained what he had been wrong about:
Even FOX news didnt call him an astronaut.
I didnt check all sources, just the top 10 results.
I honestly wasn’t sure if either of them had been called astronauts, just figured it would be best to get it in there to make it as clear as possible.
Sorry, I wasnt trying to call you out, you just made me curios, because it’s a valid point.
Anyone can be an astronaut if they suck the right old guys dick. Groundbreaking levels of participation award handouts.
Astronaut - deriving from ancient Greek astron (star) nautes (sailor). They were useless cargo. No one in history has been called a sailor for taking an 11 minute cruise on a ship that they took no part in sailing.
Most ships don’t even have sails, man.
Not with that altitude.
If I ride the disney cruise line am I a sailor?
If we allow space tourists to count as astronauts then it diminishes the actual heroes like Gagarin, Shepard, Tereshkova, Armstrong, or Sally Ride.
Plus. I really don’t want to have to call Branson or Bezos astronauts.
By what metric would you distinguish “tourists” from Gagarin, who didn’t actually control his spacecraft?: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_1#Automatic_control
Shepard’s first flight was also suborbital: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Redstone_3
I find it much better to live in a world where space tourism is actually happening, rather than one in which it is not.
Oh fuck no, we already need to make people understand that taking planes has a huge environmental impact so they reduce the amount of air traveling they do, now these guys want to see an ever increasing number of space tourists? Fuck that shit!
Lmao that line got me too. I guess it was meant to sound inspiring or something? I feel like that “format” aims to sound high-minded and wise but boy, did not work here at all.
(Full disclosure if I ever get a chance to go to space in any capacity, damn you all AND the planet, I’m goin)
Can’t we just ignore those people? All they want is attention.
There is a Video by Angela Collier about this topic. It’s worth watching, but it is long.
Long ago I read another comment regarding if such inidviduals are to be called “astronauts”: They cannot be labeled as astronauts. Astronauts are the ones we would like to have back on earth eventually.
Well they aren’t so yeah
I identify as an asstronaut
proper name for proctologists
I mean hey. Even a broken click is right twice a day
They are gate keep “astronauts” so much here.
The people who have left earth spent the entire time in a pressurised, earthlike container.
“Astronauts on the moon”… statements make up by the utterly deranged.
They never even once touched space.
Are we not all all flying through space in a round spinning container? I say astroyes we are.
If you’ve trusted your life to a rocket like these women have, you’re an astronaut to me.
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